UNI - Kitten from the Moon
by SariNeoChaos
Summary: My Sailor Moon story about a Moon kitten named Uni trying to find out who she really is. You probably won't understand parts of it unless you read Duo's Megami's Sailor Sun story and angel_princess' Sailor Earth story. Enjoy! ^-^v
1. Prologue: What Really Happened

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Prologue

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What Really Happened

BOOM! Explosions everywhere. Fighting and death were all around, people battling to the end. The smell of blood and shrill screams filled the air. The Negaverse had finally launched an attack on the Moon Kingdom, and the enemy was winning. The battle had been going on for days. There seemed like there was no end to the feud. Through it all, the citizens of the Moon Kingdom were trying there best to protect their city, but the Negaverse's forces had doubled since the last attack a year ago. 

In the midst of all the commotion, two cats and some kittens were running for shelter. The leaders, a white male and a black female, stopped and looked at eachother.

"What are we going to do!?" the black one asked the white, yelling over all the commotion, "We need to get these kittens to safety!" The white cat looked around, and spotted a sewer pipe ahead. He turned to his companion. 

"There's a pipe up ahead! It should be big enough to hold us all…for a while," he replied. The black cat shook her head in agreement. They both ran towards the hole, the kittens following closely behind. Suddenly, a monster appeared in front of them, laughing menacingly. The cats gasped in fear, the two leaders got ready to pounce on the enemy, but before they could do anything, the monster charged forward, scattering cats everywhere. The black one shook it's head to clear it's mind, and gazed up to see the monster in front of her. She screamed in horror as the monster raised it's razor-sharp claw up above its head, ready to strike.

"Mercury Bubbles Blast!" Quicker than lightning, the monster was smashed up against a wall by a powerful beam of water, and was killed instantly by the impact. The black cat looked at the figure in front of her as it bent down and helped the cat up. "Luna, are you all right!?" asked the concerned human. Blinking once, the cat looked up at the kind blue eyes of the human's face. 

"Yes, I'm fine. Thank you so much for saving me!" 

"Hey, no problem. It's my job, isn't it?" she replied, putting the cat down on its feet. "Now, go take care of the kittens, and get them to safety." Luna shook her head and turned to face her white companion.

"Luna, you still in one piece?" he asked. 

"Yes, I'm all right," she quickly said, turning to gather the kittens around them. "Quick, get the kittens!" 

"Right!" he said, looking around for any wounded kittens. He found one with a broken leg, with the bone sticking out of the skin, next to one with a big deep gash that went down from his right ear to his shoulder. He jumped down to them as fast as possible. Upon seeing him, the kitten with the broken leg started to cry.

"Oh, Mr. Artemis, please help him! He won't get up…" begged the kitten, licking her friend's wound. Artemis walked up to the crying kitten and put her on his back. 

"Do not worry about your friend," he said, sighing deeply, "his troubles are over." They both headed for the pipe, where Luna and all the other kittens were waiting. Artemis was only 50 yards from the pipe, when he was joined by another kitten with a cut on it forehead. 

"Mr. Artemis! Please wait for me!" the kitten cried. Artemis slowed down his pace, letting the kitten catch up to him. 

"Come on, head for the pipe!"

"All right!" said the kitten. Behind them, something exploded, sending them flying forward in all directions. After he landed, Artemis got up right away and put the kitten with the broken leg right on his back. He headed for the pipe as fast as he could.

"Artemis, the other kitten!" Luna called from the pipe. Artemis looked ahead to see the kitten lying in his path, coving its head with it's tiny little paws. Artemis picked up his speed and lowered his head, ready to snatch the kitten up in his mouth. He did, and made his way straight for the pipe as another explosion took place right outside the pipe entrance. Lowering the kitten in his mouth down to the floor, and Luna took the kitten off his back. All the kittens were whining and crying, some because they were hurt, others because they were scared. It was dark in the pipe, but the glow of their crescent moons lit up their shelter just enough so they could see eachother. After a while, Luna turned to the kittens.

"All right, everyone, roll call! Everyone, settle down!" But the kittens just kept right on crying and whining. Artemis stepped forward. 

"Hey, you guys! All of you, stop this right now!!!" he screamed at them. They all stopped, and everything was silent, apart from all the noise coming from outside. Artemis stood tall, with Luna next to him. 

"I'm disappointed in you all, screaming and crying like baby kittens! You're all old enough now to know how to act in a situation like this! Is this how Cat Guardians act when there's danger?!" Everyone stared at him in wonder and fear. His anger was at its peak, and he was unleashing it on them. "Now, listen up for roll call." He turned to Luna and she stepped forward. 

"All right, now. Karal…"

"Here!"

"Good. Moonlight…"

"Here!"

"Galaxy…"

"Here…" said the kitten with the broken leg, her head bowed in sadness.

Luna looked over at her. 

"How's your leg?"

"I'm all right."

"Can you run, just in case?" Galaxy looked up with her tear-stained face. 

"I think so…" Luna nodded.

"Ok then. Meteo…" Galaxy burst into tears. Artemis ran up to her. She buried her face into his blood stained chest, and he put a comforting paw around her shoulders. Artemis sighed. Looking at Luna, he said, 

"Meteo's dead, head wound." All the kittens lowered their heads, tears beginning to form in the corners of their eyes. Luna wiped a tear from her eye. 

"All right. So far we've lost one. Don't worry everyone. I'm sure that Meteo's in a much better place than this right now…" There was silence for a few minutes, and then Luna continued. 

"Pluto…"

"Here," said the kitten with the cut on his forehead, his friend licking his wound, cleaning his face of the blood crusted on it.

"Your head ok?" asked Luna.

"Yeah. Hardly feel nothin' now," he said, smiling. Luna smiled back.

"All right. Sunshine…"

"Here!"

"Comet…"

"Here."

"Universe…" No one answered. Luna looked around at all the kittens. "Universe, are you here?" All the kittens looked around for the lost kitten.

"Ms. Luna," said Moonlight, "I didn't see Uni in the group."

"Where can she be? You don't suppose she's…" Luna bowed her head down. 

"No, Uni's out there, I know! She won't go that easily! She's stronger than you think," said Artemis. "The only problem is…why did she part from the group?" 

"Uh, Mr. Artemis, sir…" said Karal, stepping forward. "I know where Uni went…" The kitten was almost in tears, trying hard to hold them back.

"Where did she go, Karal?" Artemis said calmly, trying to keep the kitten from crying.

"She went to go get Hermes, her friend. I'm sorry, it's all my fault, I'm the one who brought up Hermes, and then she just ran off in a panic, straight for the palace where he lives…"

"Oh God…that's where Queen Beryl is!" said Luna. Artemis made his way for the pipe entrance.

"Luna, stay here with the kittens, I'll go find Uni!"

"No," Luna said, stepping forward, "I'll go! The enemy can't see me if I stay in the shadows." Artemis turned to look in her eyes. 

"You sure?" Luna nodded, then turned for the opening.

"Luna…" Artemis said. She turned to face him again. He was almost in tears. "Be careful…" She nodded again.

"You too…" Then she was gone. 

~~~

All the commotion outside was deafening. The sound of explosions, the clanking of steel against steel, and the screams of pain all mixed into one. It was so loud, no one even heard the sound of Luna's paws as she ran as fast as she could to the palace. 

Almost there, she though as she ran through the darkness. A little while later, she was in front of the palace. 

"Finally made it," she panted. "Now then, which direction is Hermes' room?" She looked down the hallway of the almost ruined Moon Palace. Rocks were crumbling, metal was bent and twisted from the weight of giant monsters standing on them, some were melted from the heat of explosions. 

"That way!" she said running down the left hall and zigzagging though corridors. After running for about five minutes, she finally found Hermes' room. She hadn't been in it so many times. Uni showed it to her a couple times, but the memories were vague. She had so many other things to do, she had no room for that memory. That's why she couldn't remember which way it was. Now, in the condition it was in, she could hardly recognize it. She stepped into the ruined doorway, the door was torn from its hinges and lying on its side, half of it splintered to bits. The ceiling had caved in, and you couldn't even see the floor anymore. There was a slight dust cloud surrounding the room from when the ceiling fell.

"Uni? Are you in here?" Luna said, looking around the destroyed bedroom. "There's no one in here…" Then her ears stood on end. She had heard something outside. She pranced toward the far wall, or at least what was left of it. She looked around outside, but saw nothing. Then she heard a small squeaky voice. Stepping outside and looking behind a slab of rock, she saw it. There was the purple and pink little kitten, Uni. Luna watched the kitten to see what she was doing. She was talking to something, something white on the ground. Uni was pacing back and forth, sometimes stepping towards the white object to nuzzle it. After a while, Uni sat down and began to shake. Then Luna made her move, and walked toward the kitten. 

"Uni, dear, are you all right?" No answer, the kitten just kept on shaking from her crying. "Uni?"  


"He won't get up…" she whispered sadly. "It's all my fault, Luna…" She sniffed, "It's all my fault!" Then she broke down in tears, and Luna ran up to her, placing a comforting arm around her shoulder. When Uni pulled away from her, Luna noticed that Uni's nose was cut. 

"Oh, Uni…you're bleeding. Come on, let's get back to the others."

"What others? There are no others…" Luna suddenly stepped away from Uni, frightened by the tone of voice that Uni was using.

"You know that this is the end, Luna. It's the end for all of us. We're not going to win this time…" Uni began to shake. "We're all gonna die, just like mom and dad and Nemo." Luna was surprised. Uni never brought up her family's death before. "Just like them, we're all gonna die, we're all gonna die, we're all gonna die…" she just kept on repeating the phrase. Luna stared wide-eyed at the crazy kitten. She stepped forward her and put a paw on her shoulder. She shook it off and then suddenly turned toward Luna. Luna never saw it coming. Uni leapt right for her, going for the neck. The two struggled in a catfight. Uni was on top of Luna, and Luna was trying to get her off.

"Uni," she said, "what's wrong with you?" 

"We're all gonna die!" Uni screamed, raising a paw, and bringing it down on Luna's face, putting three deep gashes on Luna's right cheek. Uni raised her paw again, and Luna closed her eyes. 

"You're all gonna die!" Just when Uni was about to bring her paw down again, there was a flash of white. When Luna felt the weight of Uni come off of her, she opened her eyes and found herself looking at Artemis. She sat up, Artemis helping her.

"Artemis? What are you doing here, leaving the others all alone?" 

"We're not alone, Ms. Luna, we're right here!" came a young voice. She turned her head towards the voice to find all the kittens there. Uni was on her back, knocked out from Artemis' attack.

"What was Uni doing to you?" 

"I-I don't know, she just freaked out. Probably because Hermes is…"

"Yeah, I know."

"Come on, we gotta go. The battle's getting much worse, and the forces protecting the palace are getting pushed back."

"What palace?" she said. "What's there to protect, the whole thing's ruined already."

"Yeah, I know, but the Queen is taking refuge in there, and so is the Princess."

"Are they all right?"

"Yeah, they're fine, Prince Darien is with them."

"He's here?"

"Yeah! Great, huh?"

"Yeah…" Artemis smiled.

"Mr. Artemis," said a kitten, "can we go fight the enemy now? Pleeeaaase?"

"NO, you cannot!" said Luna, looking at the kitten. "Look, everyone! We're going to go back and stay in the shelter. The future sailor scouts need us to train them! So, we got to stay alive!"

"Uh, Luna, we can't go back…" Luna turned to Artemis.

"Why not?" 

"Because, I told you, the enemy is headed right for the palace, and we'll be killed instantly if we go back." Luna sighed.

"Well, Artemis, what do we do now? Fight?" He nodded.

"And hope that at least some of us will live to train future scouts…"

~~~

Luna stepped over the rubble. It was over. They had won. The Negaverse had been defeated. Luna winced at the pain she felt. During the battle, she had received a numerous amount of cuts a bruises, the biggest being the deep gash she had received from an enemy claw behind her ear, but there was an even bigger wound in her heart. Artemis walked up to her, a grim look on her face.

"Well?" Luna said. Artemis looked at her.

"None." Luna sighed heavily with grief. Artemis continued. "They're all gone. We're the only one's left…"

"All of them were so young." 

"Yes, well, at least they died with honor, protecting the queen."

"Oh, poor Princess Serena."

"And Darien, too."

"Why did this have to happen?"  


"It's all fate, Luna. We all gotta go sometime." Artemis' ears perked up, and he suddenly turned around, and Luna looked at him strangely.

"What is it, Artemis?"

"Shhh! Something's headed this way!" he whispered harshly. Luna ducked down and the two cats stared in the direction that the running footsteps were coming from. Suddenly from over a pile of rubble, came an orange figure, a pale yellow moon glowing on its head. Artemis sighed with relief. The orange creature spotted them and ran toward them. Luna and Artemis relaxed as the cat came up to them, a young cat by the name of Apollo, a fellow Cat Guardian.

"Thank goodness you're safe, Bro," said Artemis.

"Sorry I'm late!" he panted. He stared out over the horizon with sadness in his eyes. "Looks like I was too late, for that matter…"

"Apollo, don't act like it was your fault!" Luna cried, stepping up to fully face him. "Well, do you know if anyone is still alive from where you came from?" Apollo shook his head from side to side.

"No…I didn't see any…"

"No kittens?"  


"No kittens…" he repeated. Luna sniffed, holding back the tears. 

"I wonder if any of them are still alive…" she said. Artemis sighed.

"Well, if there are any still alive, I guess we'll find out in the future." On the moon, bodies were lying everywhere, buildings were burning, everything was destroyed, and through it all, three small cats stood amidst it all, mourning over the loss of their family and friends, over the loss of their home…

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Ok, I know the ending to the prologue is kinda weird, but I couldn't come up with anything else. Sorry if the ending disappointed you…


	2. Thinking About Getting A New Pet

Part 1

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Thinking About Getting A New Pet

"Hey, Alex, hi!" said a happy-go-lucky Serena. Alex moaned.

"Go away, ok? I'm not having a good day…"

"What's the problem, Alex? You sick?"  


"No, you're the problem that's what! Why don't you go and bother your dumb boyfriend or something?" Alex said. Serena frowned. 

"Geez! Ya must be havin' a reeeaaally bad day! What happened?"

"None of your business, ok?" Serena stepped back. 

"Well, excuuuuuuuse me, Miss Moody! I was just trying to be nice and help out! I'll just be on my way!" Sticking her nose in the air, she sharply turned and walked away. After taking three steps, she turned back to Alex. "And his name is Darien, and he's not dumb!"

"Whatever…just go, ok? Looking at you is making me sick…" Serena turned red.

"Ya know, you're worse than Raye, Alex!" She stuck her tongue out at Alex, turned and walked away. Alex sneered. She wasn't having a good day. Well, she did really dislike Serena and Darien, so it wasn't everyday that she wasn't mean to them. She reached into her backpack and took out a piece of paper. Staring at it with anger, she crumbled it up and tossed it on the ground. Sticking her hands into her pockets, she walked away from her school, the Foreign Exchange Student Private Academy, which she had just been let out of, and made her way towards her home. She hated school. She hated it even more than Serena. She wished that she could just go back in time and shoot the guy who created school right now. But she knew it was for her own good, and she needed an education for the future. She sighed and looked up at the clouds. Suddenly, she heard footsteps behind her, running. She recognized those footsteps. They were the steps of her dear best friend, Sammy. She had been living with Sammy and her parents since she was five when her father died. Sammy was like a sister to her, and she knew that when she was having a bad day, Sammy could always turn her frown upside down. 

"Hiya Alex! How was school?" Sammy said in a cheery voice, slowing her pace to a walk when she reached her friend's side. 

"Don't ask!" Alex replied.

"Oh, you dropped this!" she said, pulling out the crumbled ball of paper. Alex's eyes widened. "What is it, Alex?" she asked, uncrumbling the wrinkled paper. 

"It's nothing! Give it to me!" Alex leapt for the paper, but Sammy was always quicker, being younger than she was. She opened it up and saw the big red mark on the paper. Alex winced as Sammy gasped in horror. The surprised girl turned to her friend, who was blushing.

"Alex," she started, "have you seen this?" Alex nodded her head. Sammy looked back down at the paper in disbelief. 

"But…how could you have done so bad, I mean, you studied all night for this thing!"

"I don't know, Sammy!" she said, frustrated. "I know I studied all night for that test, but when I entered the classroom, my memory went blank!" She grabbed her hair, ready to pull it out. Sammy looked at her friend.

"You read comic books again, didn't you?" Alex looked into her eyes, letting go of her hair.

"Ya can tell that easily?"  


"Alex," Sammy said, handing her the paper, "knowing you, I think I'd know." She put an arm around Alex's shoulders. 

"But I did study for it! I really did! Don't you believe me?"

"Just forget it! What's done is done. Now come on! Let's put this whole matter behind us and go get some ice cream. It's on me!" Alex smiled.

"Thanks, Sam," she said, tossing the paper casually over her shoulder and placing her arm around Sammy's shoulder. The two friends walked off, happily chatting, leaving the paper with the big red "D" behind.

~~~

Tokyo Street. One of the busiest roads in the city of Tokyo. The sides of the street were filled with stores, and it was probably home to all the dirty, homeless, and crazy people in Japan. Alex and Sammy were walking down the left sidewalk, heading for the ice cream shop. On their way over, they passed a pet shop full of cute little animals: cats, dogs, mice, rabbits, gerbils, hamsters, anything, you name it. This shop was called Animal Town, and it was one of the top selling pet shops in all of Tokyo. As they passed by, Sammy noticed a little black kitten with a white underside in the window. She stopped and looked at the kitten. 

"Awww, how sweet! It's sooo cute! Hey there, little kitty, how ya doing?" Alex grabbed her by her shirtsleeve and tried to pull her away.

"No, Sammy, don't even think about it!"

"But Aleeeeeeeex, how can you resist a face like that?" she said, pointing at the kitten as it pawed at the glass display window, looking at Alex with pleading eyes that begged her to take it home. Alex had to agree it was a pretty cute kitten. But, she had to stay strong; she had to stay the leader. 

"Not today, Sammy. You already have a cat…" After about five minutes of arguing, Sammy finally gave up, following Alex to the ice cream shop, and leaving the poor little kitten behind, watching them go…

~~~

Where am I? In the darkness of an alley, two bloodshot blue eyes were glowing, half closed with sleepiness, half-opened with fear. 

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What am I? The eyes darted back and forth, tracking every sound that was made in the darkness. 

Who am I? What am I doing here? The thing was just full of questions. It had just appeared in this alley two hours before, with no idea of who it was or where it came from, no memory of its past…just the explosions and screaming that it constantly heard in its mind, echoing forever and ever, driving it insane. It covered its small head with its hands…no, they were not hands, but something else…what was it? Fur. It had fur. Claws. Claws for defense. Eyes, nose, mouth, ears, it had all the requirements to be counted as a creature, a living thing. But what was it? The only thing it could remember were the screams…and the explosions…and the blood…the pain, the suffering…the death. It just kept on playing back in its mind…forever, never stopping…but it had no idea of what they meant…

No…please stop…please stop now…It shook its head back and forth, trying to shake away the memories, the blank memories. What were these sounds? Had it heard them before? She, had **she** heard them before? That was it! It was a female, and a creature, a living, breathing creature…but what? She got up on her feet, all wet and sweaty from laying there in the dirt for hours, never moving, just waiting…waiting for IT to come…IT…what was IT? She knew she had a reason to be on this earth…but what was it? She had no memories whatsoever of her past…she had no family…no friends…only IT…but where was IT? She knew her mission, it was to find out what IT was…and destroy IT. Yes! Destroy IT! IT! The IT that was doing this to her, making her suffer, like a defenseless animal!…an animal…what that what she was? Who was IT? Why was IT doing this to her?! She was going insane!!! The screams, the pain, the suffering, the death! 

Make it go away! she thought, _Make it go away, now! PLEASE! SOMEONE! HELP ME!!! _But no one helped her, and she couldn't make it go away herself…no one could make it go away…only IT could. 

HELP MEEEEEEEE!!! She screamed, burying her head into the soft moist ground, the sounds never ending, always echoing in her head.Then, lifting her head out of the earth, her eyes shot wide open, and she looked around, panting. It was gone, the awful sounds were gone! She had done it! But how? Had she done it herself, or had IT done it for her? Who was this IT? She knew that IT was the enemy, and she had to find IT and destroy…destroy…kill IT…why?

I'm so confused…she thought sadly, making her way out of the alley and into the light. This was making no sense…the sounds…her lost memory…all she could remember was IT…the black light…the black evil…the black evil which she had to destroy…destroy…destroy… 

~~~

"OH YEAH!!!" cheered Sammy, jumping back from the arcade machine. "570,455 points!" She turned to Alex, who was licking her ice cream with a casual look on her face. Putting her hands on her hips, Sammy said, "Try and beat that, Ms. Champion! Think ya can top that?" Alex laughed, handing her friend her ice cream and putting her hands on the controls. 
    "Is the sky blue? Just watch me." She stuck in a quarter, and the game began. A screen came up. Choose a Difficulty Level. Beginner, Intermediate, Expert. Alex moved the joystick down twice. Sammy sighed. 
    "You always pick expert!" 
    "That's because that's what I am," Alex said with a smile. The game had begun. Sammy watched as Alex began to shoot enemies all over the place. Her speed and agility were incredible. Sure, she had played this game before, but not this good. Must have been the bad mood she was in that pumped her up. Alex always loved a good challenge. Sammy kept her eyes on the score counter. 
    100,530 points were on the counter, and she had only just started the game. She was good, very good. Sammy knew from the start that Alex was going to beat her, but she just wanted Alex to have fun. 
    250,895 points. She was having a bad day, and whenever Alex had a bad day, it was up to her to cheer her up. 
    367,485 points. That's why she stopped at the pet shop, to see if she could get Alex a kitten. Alex needed a pet, to take care of and love. Sure, she had their cat at home, but he was more of her cat than Alex's. Besides, Alex didn't even like their cat that much. She had always wondered why not… 
    520, 210 points. 
"Hey, look! You're almost there!" Sammy said, jumping up and down. Alex was pushing buttons here and there, vaporizing every enemy that came in her way. 
    "Come on, Alex!" Sammy cheered, and Alex shushed her. 
"Keep quiet! I'm almost there!" she said, pushing the shoot button and moving the joystick around as fast as she could. Sammy began counting the points out loud for Alex. 
    "570, 425…570, 435…570, 445…" Alex began to growl at the game as the boss came onto the screen. It raised its arm and shot something off the screen, and an enemy came from behind Alex and hit her. The words GAME OVER flashed on the screen. Alex cursed, slamming her fists on the control panel. Sammy handed Alex her ice cream. 
"Hey, maybe next time!" 
    "Yeah, I guess so…" said Alex gloomily. 
"Come on, let's get going, it's almost closing time." Sammy grabbed Alex by the arm and pulled her out of the store. 
    "Maybe if we hurry, we can check out Animal Town!" 
"Animal Town!?" Alex said, pulling her arm free from Sammy's grip. 
"Animal Town? Why go there? We're not getting a pet, if that's what you're thinking." 
    "Aw, come on, Alex! Why not?" 
"Because you already have one!" she said, turning around and walking away. 
    "No, that's not what I mean!" Sammy yelled, running to catch up with Alex. "What I mean is, YOU need a pet." 
"What!?" Alex said in disbelief. "No thank you!" 
    "Come on Alex! Ya know ya need one!" 
"NO! It's enough that we have to take care of your cat!" 
    "But you know he'd love to have a friend, ya know, another cat, not just humans, around the house!" 
"Sammy, we are not getting another cat. Their too expensive, end of subject." 
    "But…" Sammy started, a sad look on her face. 
"Besides, ya know I'm allergic to cats!" Sammy stopped walking and smiled, rolling her eyes into the back of her head. 
    "Yeah right, uh huh. Sure, whatever!" 
    "You say something?" Alex said, not bothering to turn around. 
    "No!" said Sammy, running toward Alex. 

~~~

Closing time. The time every human in the store would go home and watch TV, eat dinner, or work on something they had to get done. It was also the time for animal to go to sleep…all animals, except for one…the creature with the blue eyes ran as fast as it could down the sidewalk, tears streaming in its eyes…where was she? Where had she come from? All the blank memories had worked up tears in her eyes, and she was on the brink of just breaking down and crying. 
She needed a shoulder to cry on…a friend to be there for her…but she had none…no one…she kept on running, she had been running for hours now…she had stepped on everything possible, and her feet were beginning to bleed. The blood…she left a trail of blood behind her now…for anything to follow…her paws were sore, and she was extremely tired. The pain, the suffering she was feeling right now. 
She had to find someone…she had to find someone who could help her…but who? Who would be kind enough to help her right now? She stopped running and looked at her paws…the blood…the crimson red blood that crusted to the pads on her feet…her paws…she heard something coming from her side, something big and red and fast speeding towards her. She turned to face it…the lights…the white lights…shining on her…what were they…was it time for her to go…to leave this world…the lights…the blinding lights…suddenly, something beeped, it came from the large object approaching her…a squeaking of tires as the object tried to come to a stop…the creature stared at it in amazement, then fear struck her, as she tried to get out of the way, but the front of the object was low, and it hit her…but not hard enough to kill her. She was thrown back half a foot, shocked by the impact the object inflicted upon her. She got up as fast as she could and ran, just as a man stepped out of the object, watching the creature flee away from him. 
    "Poor thing…hope it's all right…" he said with a sigh, getting back into the object, closing the door, and putting his foot on the gas pedal. The creature stopped running when she reached the other side of the sidewalk…panting…the pain she felt in her side…she turned to look at it, and it didn't look too bad…it was bleeding a little, but it wasn't that bad…she hoped that none of her bones were broken…she was tough, she had to admit…she was tough…but how could she, a small creature…survive such a great hit as that one? There must have been something more about her…something special she had, but did not know she had…something that IT had given her…IT…the sound…the painful memories…were coming back to her…she took a couple steps forward, then threw herself to the ground, underneath a tree. 
__No! Please stop! No more! Please! Please. Please…she kept repeating, until she could not repeat it any more, and passed out from all the pain… 

~~~ End of Part One 

AUTHOR'S NOTE: So, whatdya think of this one? I think it's better than the prologue, cuz it finally gets a little bit more interesting. I know there are some parts in here that you read and just ask yourself, "Why on earth did she put THAT in there?" Well, the truth is, I don't know… 


	3. Sammy And The Kitten

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Part 2

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Sammy And The Kitten

"Sammy, just forget it! We're not getting another pet! Not now, and not ever, especially if I have to take care of it!"

"But Aleeeeex!"

"No, Sammy, I told you, you already have a cat! Two cats is too much to care for, think of all the money we gotta spend on cat food, litter, toys, stuff that cats need! Your mom and dad wouldn't like it…"

"But they don't have to know, it could be a surprise or something!" Alex stopped in her tracks, folding her arms.

"Oh, so we're getting another pet behind our parents' backs now, are we?"

"No, it's not that, what I mean is…Alex, trust me! I can take care of another cat if you don't want to! The truth is, I want a cat so you can be happy…" Alex laughed.

"I'm happy with what I have right now, thank you!"

"No, you're not, Alex! I can tell! There's something wrong with you, you haven't been yourself lately."

"Whatdya mean, I haven't been myself?"

"Well, I think that you're lacking a sense of responsibility…" She lowered her head. "…so, I thought that if you got a pet, like a cat, to take care of, to gain a responsibility…"

"No, Sammy, I told you once, and I told you a thousand times before, we are not getting another pet, even if I don't have much of a sense of responsibility." _What does she mean, I don't have a sense of responsibility? Must be some kind of dumb excuse to get me into getting another pet. She knows very well that I have a good sense of responsibility! _Alex thought.

"But, Alex, if you'd just listen to me, I'm your older sister…"

"You're only two months older than me, and you don't even act like you're older," Alex interrupted.

"But still, I'm older, and I think it'd do you some good if ya did get a pet…" Alex turned on her friend, furious.

"SAMMY, STOP BEING SO IMMATURE AND WHINY ALL THE TIME!"

"I'M NOT BEING IMMATURE, YOU ARE! STOP YELLING AT ME!" Sammy yelled back.

"OH, AND YOU'RE NOT YELLING?!"

"Alex, please stop yelling. Please, if you'll just listen to me…"

"NO! WE ARE NOT GETTING ANOTHER CAT, end of story!" Sammy threw her arms into the air, finally giving up. 

"FINE!!!" She ran off, Alex watching her go, with a look of regret on her face. She kicked the lamppost she was next to as hard as she could.

"Darn it! I shouldn't have yelled at her!" She grabbed her hair, but soon let go of it. She shook her head, keeping a straight face. "It's ok, Alex, she'll be fine. She knows that a cat is a living thing, a big responsibility. She'll understand sooner or later…" She put her hands in her pockets and slowly made her way towards her home, lonely without the cheerful chatter of her sister to keep her company.

~~~

Sammy ran through the pale sunlight, tears streaming down her face. She saw a tree in front of her, and she ran toward it. When she reached it, she threw her arms around the trunk, and had a good cry.

"Why? Why doesn't she trust me? Why? Why?" she cried, rubbing her face on the tree, as if it were the only friend she had right now. After she had cried so much that her tears ran dry, she let go of the tree and threw herself down, so she was sitting. She put her hand down on the cold ground, but the ground that her hand was touching wasn't cold, but warm…and wet…and breathing…She quickly lifted her hand, and stared down at what she was resting her hand on. It was a gray cat, a kitten, about a year old or so…

Sammy gasped. "Oh my god!" she said, staring down at the creature, its side slowly lifting up and down as it breathed. "Well, well, well…what do we have here? A cat?" She noticed something glistening in the faint sunlight on the cat's side. Looking at her hand, she saw it. It was more visible on her hand than it was on the cat's side, since her hand was lighter than the cat's fur. Blood. Blood all over her hand. She looked back down at the cat, as it began to stir with pain. 

"Oh, no! You poor thing!" she said, gently lifting it from its spot on the ground and setting it down on her lap. She took her white blouse sleeve and put it in her mouth, pulling a long strip off by jerking her head to the side. She took it out of her mouth and wrapped it around the kitten's side. Then she noticed the paws, also bleeding. "Gee, kitty, you're pretty banged up, aren't ya?" she said, and she swore that she heard the kitten let out a small meow, as if it were answering her question. 

"Well, I better take you home with me…" then she thought about Alex. What would she say once she sees the kitten? Looking down at the small body, she sighed deeply. "Well, I guess she'll understand…" then she got a mischievous look on her face. "Oooooor…she never has to know…" She got up off of her knees, holding the kitten in her arms, and began running home…

~~~

Alex stuck the key into her apartment door, turning it to unlock the door and get inside. She sighed. 
"Man, she's really mad at me, but I should just forget it. She may be older than me, but she knows better than to get a cat behind her parents' backs…" She stepped into the dark apartment, feeling the wall when she entered for the light switch. After finding it and turning it on, she stepped into the now lighted apartment and flopped down on the couch. She put a hand to her head and sighed. 
"What am I gonna do?" She pulled her hand away from her head, and saw an orange figure in front of her, a cat, staring at her with big eyes. 
"Uh! What do you want?" she said, frustration in her voice. The cat just looked at her, his head tilted a little to the left. Alex stared at him. He stared back. 
    "God, just tell me what you want!" she screamed. He did nothing. Only stared. Then he turned his head towards the kitchen. Her eyes followed. She saw what he wanted. His food bowl was empty. She sighed. 
"You hungry, is that it? Huh?" she said, looking at him. He stared. She sighed again. 
    "All right, don't answer me!" she said, getting up. She went into the cabinet and grabbed a can of cat food, and then she opened a drawer and pulled out a can opener. After opening the can, she threw the food into his food dish, and then tossed the can into the trash. She threw herself onto the couch again. He followed, jumping up on the table in front of her again. Alex ignored him and just sat there, her eyes closed as she thought about what she should say to Sammy once she got home. 
"You know, you should try and be a little nicer to me…" said a voice. Alex opened her eyes and stared at the cat again. 
    "And YOU should answer me when I ask you a question!" she said to the cat. 
"Well then, maybe you should ask me nicely," said the cat, jumping onto the couch next to her. Alex scooted away from him. The cat looked around. 
    "Where's Sammy? I didn't see her come in with you." 
"She…went for…a little walk! Yeah! She went for a walk!" she said to the cat. He gave her a mean look, and she cowered back. 
    "All right! What did you do to her now?" he asked. 
"None of your business!" Alex said, getting up. The cat stared after her as she walked to her room. 
    "I'll be in my room if anyone needs me!" she said, slamming the door behind her. The cat sighed, lay down on the couch, and closed his eyes. 
"Well, I guess I can sneak in a little catnap until Sammy gets home…" he said as he dozed off. 

~~~

Sammy stepped into the apartment building, the kitten in her arms with a now dark red bandage around her waist. She stepped up the stairs and down the hall, till she reached her apartment door. She gasped and held her breath, and turned the doorknob. 
__    Please don't be in the living room…she said, and pushed the door open. The room was empty. _Good!_ she said, sneaking into the apartment. She tiptoed over to the door to her room, and turned the knob. She stepped inside her room, and closed the door behind her. 
"Now lets see…" she said. She looked toward her bathroom. Now she was glad that she had a bathroom connected to her room. 
    "Well, what I think we should do first is clean up your wounds." She ran into the bathroom and grabbed a washcloth, a towel, and a bottle of peroxide. She placed the towel onto the bed and then put the kitten down on the towel. Opening the bottle of peroxide, she poured a little onto the washcloth. Sammy stroked the kitten's soft little gray head, and then went for the bandage, ready to untie it. The kitten let out a soft meow. Sammy smiled. 
"I know it hurts kitty. I'll try and make it better," she said, unwrapping the bandage from the kitten's waist. Sammy gasped when she saw the wound. Now that she had light, she could see how bad it really was, and it was pretty bad. 
    "Oh, kitty! What did you get yourself into?" she said, as she picked up the damp washcloth. 
"Now, this may sting a little, but I gotta clean out your wound. You don't wanna get an infection, do you?" Just then outside the door, she heard footsteps. Sammy gasped, quickly tossing a corner of her bedsheets over the kitten to hide its presence. The door slowly inched open. _Great!_ she thought. She had forgotten to close the door. Something stepped in, and she let out her breath with a sigh of relief. 
"What's going on, Sammy?" said the cat. 
"Oh, Apollo, it's only," she said. The cat made his way toward her. 
"What do you mean it's only me? What are you up to?" 
"I'll show you, but first…" she said, getting up and walking towards the door. She grabbed the doorknob and gently closed the door, and then locked it. She sat down on the bed again with Apollo, who was now lying down on the pillow. 
    "All right, Sammy, what are you doing now?" 
"Apollo, take a look at this," she said, uncovering the cat. 
    "Whoa!" Apollo said, surprised at the bloody mess in front of him. "Where did you find her?" 
"Never mind that, you think we can help her?" 
    "Well, I don't know, looks pretty bad…" he turned his eyes toward the sad girl. "Did ya clean it yet?" 
"No, I was just gonna do that…" she said, reaching for the washcloth. She picked up the kitten and put it in her lap. The kitten let out another soft meow. 
    "Shhh, its ok kitty," she said. She dabbed at the wound gently, the kitten stirring in her lap. 
"I know it hurts, but it'll help ya." She turned to Apollo, who was staring at the wound. 
    "How old do you think she is?" 
"I can't say exactly, but I'll have to say about a little over a year." 
    "So she's about as old as you." 
"Hm, maybe a little younger. She looks like she's about 12 or 13 in cat years…" he said, still staring at the wound. "It's strange though, a wound that big and deep could kill a kitten…" 
    "Well, she's a lucky one," she said, pulling the washcloth away from the wound. She looked at the wound. It had stopped bleeding. But there was something strange about it, not the wound, but her fur. She looked at the washcloth, which was not only red with blood, but also very gray with dust…the same gray that was the kitten's fur color. She glanced back at the wound. 
"Apollo, look at this," she said. Apollo looked at the wound. 
    "What is it?" he said, and then saw it. Her fur wasn't gray like it used to be, but sort of a magenta color. The gray was just dust and dirt from being out in the city for a long time. Apollo leapt forward and started to lick the kitten's bloody paws, cleaning them like all cats clean themselves. 
"Sammy, go get some water." Without hesitation, she quickly made her way toward the bathroom and grabbed a small pink tub from under the sink. She turned on the water and thrust the tub under the faucet, catching the water in it. After it was half full, she turned off the running water and made her way back to the bed, careful as not to spill the water onto the carpet. She placed it on the bed, and Apollo threw the washcloth into the water with a light splash. After the water soaked into the cloth, Sammy grabbed it and wrung it out. She began to wipe the cat's fur with the cloth. The ugly gray came off onto the cloth, and the pretty magenta color began to appear. 
"What the…" began Sammy. "How can this be? No cat is purple!" 
"Wait a sec, Sammy. Clean its head, will ya?" Sammy nodded, and began to wipe the kitten's face. It was also magenta. When it was completely clean, they both stared at it in wonder. The kitten had magenta fur with a pink underside and ears, and a golden moon on her head… 
    "Is she…a…" 
"Yes, Sammy. This is no coincidence," Apollo said. "She's definitely a Moon Cat." Apollo sighed. 
    "Well, we better fix her up," Sammy said, going back to her bathroom. She opened the mirror cabinet to the side and grabbed some white bandages. 
After they had wrapped the bandages around the kitten's wounds, Sammy dumped the water out of the tub and into the sink and dried it. She grabbed another towel, folded it up and placed it into the tub. She put it next to her bed. 
"There!" she said, proud of her work of art. Apollo stared at it. 
"Oh, that's great, Sammy!" he said. Then he turned to face her. "What is it?" he said quickly. 
"It's a bed for the kitten, silly!" she said, picking up the kitten and placing it in the homemade bed. 
"Think it's comfortable enough?" she said, crossing her arms. 
"Yeah, looks fine for now." Just then there was a knock at the door. 
"Sammy, you in there?" Sammy and Apollo looked at eachother with big scared eyes. There was another knock. 
"Look, Sammy, I need to talk to you, please answer the door!" Alex said, jiggling the doorknob. 
__It's a good thing I locked the door! thought Sammy. "Apollo, what are we gonna do!" she whispered harshly. 
"I don't know, but we gotta do something fast before she…" but it was too late, Alex was going to use the key. After unlocking it, she turned the knob and opened the door. Sammy had just enough time to kick the tub with the sleeping kitten under her bed. Alex walked over to Sammy. 
    "Why didn't you open the door when I told you to?" she said. 
"I…I…uh…" Sammy stuttered. 
    "Never mind. Listen, I just wanted you to know that I'm sorry for yelling at you…" 
"It's okay, Alex, you don't have to apologize. I shouldn't have argued about getting another pet. I'm sorry…" Alex smiled. 
"Well, I'm glad that you understand," she said. There came a faint meow from somewhere near the bed. Alex turned her head toward the bed. Sammy's eyes went wide with horror. What was she gonna do now? What if Alex sees the cat? Apollo saw that Alex had heard the meow, and he let out a meow, making it seem like it was him who made the sound. Alex raised one eyebrow, and then turned to Sammy. 
"Well, if ya need me, I'll be in my room," she said, and turned around and left, closing the door behind her. Sammy and Apollo let out a sigh at the same time. 
"Boy, that was a close one," said Sammy. 
"Too close," replied Apollo. Sammy got down on her knees and reached under the bed, feeling for the bed. When she felt it, she grabbed the side and pulled it out from under the bed, but there was no kitten in it. Sammy looked around the room for the cat. Where could she have gone? 
    "Uh, Sammy…" Sammy looked up to see Apollo with the kitten sniffing at him. Apollo had a strange look on his face. Sammy giggled, then put her arms on the bed. 
"Hey, kitty, come here…" Sammy said, signaling for the kitten to come to her. The cat turned her head and made her way toward Sammy. Sammy picked it up in her arms and sat down on the bed with it. Apollo sat down next to her. 
    "Has she talked to you yet?" Apollo shook his head. 
"No, but she should have. If she's a Moon Cat, then she should know that I'm a Moon Cat too." 
    "Maybe she doesn't remember who she is?" Sammy suggested. 
"Probably. We'll take her to Luna and Artemis. Maybe they can help…" Apollo yawned. "But first, let's get some sleep. We'll see them in the morning. You don't have school tomorrow, so we'll go as soon as you wake up." Sammy yawned too. 
    "Yeah, you're right." She got changed into her pajamas and got into bed, turning off the lights before she did. Apollo curled up next to her feet, his pale yellow moon faintly glowing in the darkness. 
__    Where am I? thought the kitten, looking around in the darkness. She looked up at the bed, at Sammy. 
__    Who is this person? And who was that other creature…the cat? What's a cat? Is that…what I am? the cat looked at the white bandage around her waist. 
__    She…helped _me? _she thought, a tear of happiness forming in her eye. It trickled down her cheek as she smiled. She lay down her head. 
__    Thank you…the kitten closed her eyes and curled up in her bed, her golden moon glowing just like Apollo's. For the first time in days, she finally went to sleep without the memories and horrible sounds repeating in her head. 

~~~End of Part Two 

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Ok, I thought I'd put in some more stuff, but I thought that this would be a good place to stop Part 2. Sorry if I left you hanging a little. 


	4. Alex Finds Out

****

Part 3

__

Alex Finds Out

It was Friday night, 11:00. Sammy was in her room with Apollo, both fast asleep. Alex was sitting in her bed, tucked under the covers, reading a Sailor V comic book. She had eleven pages left of her comic, and she was getting very tired. She decided to finish the rest in the morning. She set it down on her nightstand, and reached for the lightswitch on her lamp. She pushed the button and the room suddenly became dark. She threw the covers over her head, and closed her eyes. She had a dream that she was in her sailor scout uniform, fighting a hundred enemies. They were all fleeing at the sight of her, Sailor Earth, the strongest of all the sailor scouts. She laughed victoriously. 

When her little dream was over, Alex opened her eyes, smiling. It was great being the strongest of all the scouts…she could do anything she wanted. She could defeat any enemy. She closed her eyes again, still smiling. She turned over on her side, and her foot hit something sitting at the foot of her bed, something soft, something warm…something breathing. She freaked out!   


"AAAAHHHH!!!" she screamed in a high pitched voice. She leapt almost four feet in the air, and landed with a thud on the hard wooden floor next to her bed. 

"Owww…" she groaned in pain, rubbing her aching bottom. She quickly got on her knees, and looked over the side of her bed. There was a lump under her bedsheets, just lying there. 

Oh no! A rat! she though with fear. If there was one thing she hated, it was rats. She grabbed a pillow, got up, raised it high over her head, and brought it down really fast on to the creature.

"TAKE THAT YOU DIRTY OLD RAT!!!" she screamed, bringing the pillow down again and again onto the lump under her covers. The lump just sat there, motionless. She raised it again, but before she could give the thing another good whack, she looked down and saw that the bedsheet that it was under was slightly glowing, the same way that Sammy's cat, Apollo's crescent moon on his forehead glows. She let go of the pillow, her arms still high up over her head. "Apollo?"

She dropped down on the bed and grabbed the sheets, trying to get the cat out from under her sheets.

"Oh, god! Sammy's gonna kill me!" she said, and she finally got all the sheets off the poor beaten cat's head.

"Apollo! Are you ok! You didn't break anything, did you?!"

"Meow," came a small frightened voice from the cat on the bed, covering its head with its paws.

"Meow? Whatdya mean, meow? Tell me if you're ok or not!" she said.

"Meow…" came the voice again. Frustrated because he wouldn't answer her so she could understand him, she picked up the cat. She was just about to give him a good lecture on that he should answer her in English when she asked him a question, but there was something strange about Apollo. When she picked him up from around his waist, she felt a piece of cloth; a bandage. Holding the cat in one hand, she made the other reach out for her light. She pushed in the button, and looked back at the cat. She gasped.

"SAAAAAAAAMMYYYYYYYY!!!"

~~~

It was lecture time. Sammy was in her chair at the kitchen table with the poor injured kitten in her lap, Apollo was on the table. Alex was standing up, walking back and forth across the kitchen floor, talking to Sammy.

"Sammy, I thought I told you, no more pets. How many milleniums will it take for you to get that through your head!?"

"But Alex…"

"Don't you 'but Alex' me, young lady! You know very well that I told you over a million times, we are not getting another pet!"

"Alex, I found her! She was hurt badly! Do you think I had any other choice!?" Alex stopped walking and stood tall in front of her friend. 

"Well, it's simple! You could have just left it there!" Sammy gasped. 

"How can you be so cruel!" she cried.

"That's not the point! It's probably gonna die anyway, and I don't want it stinkin' up the whole apartment!" 

"Alex, listen, I'll take care of it! I promise! I'll keep it in my room, and out of your hair." Alex sighed. She shook her head.

"You're not gonna give up till you win, aren't ya?" Sammy smiled. Alex sighed again.

I can't believe I'm doing this! "All right then! You can keep it, I guess…" Sammy leapt into the air, the cat in her arms.   


"Thank you sooo much, Alex!" she said, giving her friend a hug, but being care as not to crush the kitten between them. Alex shook her off.

"Just keep that thing away from me!" 

"Got it! I promise!" she said, running to her room. Apollo looked up at her, smiling. Alex looked down at him.

"What are you smiling about?"

"That was really nice of you, Alex. I'm proud of you."

"Yeah, well, it wasn't easy," she replied, looking away and crossing her arms. 

"You know, Alex, that kitten is no ordinary cat." Alex turned her head back toward him.

"Whatdya mean?"

"What I mean is, she has a crescent moon on her head, the sign of a Cat Guardian." That's right! She had forgotten all about the glowing of the crescent moon under her covers. 

"It's a moon cat, about as old as I am, maybe a little younger…"

"So, whatdya gonna do with it?"

"Well, Sammy and I are going to take her to the others tomorrow, she seems to have forgotten who she is. She can't even talk like me…"

"Oh, is that so?" Alex asked. Looking toward Sammy's room. After a little while, she began to make her way toward her own room. 

"Well, good night, Apollo…"

"Good night yourself, Alex, but I'm not going to bed. I think I'll stay up and make sure that she doesn't go in your room again and make you kill yourself." He smiled.

"Hey Apollo," she began seriously. Apollo looked up. "Did you say that the cat was a girl cat?"

"Yeah, so…" he said.

"Well, you better stay away from her! I don't want no baby moon kitties wandering around the apartment in a couple of months." Apollo's hair stood on end, and he stood on his back paws.

"How could you think of such a thing!" he said, disgusted at the thought. Alex walked to her room smiling as she heard a loud thud behind her as Apollo fell off the table and onto the floor with fright. 

That'll teach him! she thought, trying hard not to laugh and wake up Sammy and the cat…

~~~

Darkness. Bleak darkness. It stretched for miles. Amidst the darkness, there stood a man…or was it a monster…with black wavy hair that came down to his knees. He was wearing a gray coat with a button on the side, gray pants, and brown boots (a lot like the suits that Jadeite, Nephrite, Zoisite, and Malachite wore). He had a white cape on his shoulders, attached to his coat by two round clips. He stood there without any motion, his arms crossed, his cape waving in the light breeze. He closed his dark red eyes, thinking of his future. A smile appeared across his face. Footsteps came from behind him, but he paid no mind to it. The creature behind him bowed down in respect before his tall godlike form.

"Master," said the creature, it's brown hair flowing down its back.

"Yes, speak, Nemesis…" he said in a deep voice.

"Sire, I've done your bidding, I've found your army," Nemesis said, still bowing.

"Good. Well done, Nemesis." He quickly turned, his cape flying past him. "Show them to me." He walked next to the small form, as it got up and walked with him. 

Soon, the man thought, _soon I'll be invincible, and I'll have the greatest army. The world will bow to my will! And those pesky Sailor scouts will NOT get in my way this time! _In the darkness, man and creature walked away, leaving their footprints in the black sand that surrounded them…

~~~

Saturday morning, 8:00. Alex sat up in bed, putting her hands to her eyes, rubbing the sleep out of them. She quietly got out of bed and walked out. She tiptoed out of her room, past Sammy's, and into the kitchen. No one was there. Good, she thought that Apollo would still be there, but fortunately, he had gone back to Sammy's room. She got out a bowl, some milk, and a box of cereal. She poured the milk and cereal into the bowl, and put the milk back in the fridge. When she turned back to the table, she found the purple kitten sitting there, eating her cereal.

"NO!!!" she screamed, but quickly stopped herself, afraid that she might wake up Sammy. She tiptoed back to the table, and gently grabbed the kitten. 

"No, you stupid cat! That's not good for you!" she whispered. It meowed when she picked it up and put it back on the floor. She sat down in the chair, then groaned. 

"I hate it when I forget the spoon!" she said, getting up again just when she was getting comfortable. She opened the utensil drawer and grabbed a metal spoon. She turned back to the table, only to find the kitten there again, eating her cereal. Alex couldn't help but smile.

"So, ya like that, huh?" The cat looked up at her, actually smiling. Alex chuckled. "Ya know, Honey Nut Cheerios is my favorite cereal. It was also my fath…" she stopped herself again, and looked away. The cat tilted its head to the side. Alex flopped down into the chair, arms folded on the table. "It was also my father's favorite, before he…" tears began to form in the corners of her eyes. The kitten meowed. Alex let out a sob. The kitten walked up to her, looking into her sad face. Alex put her head down on the table. The kitten got closer. Then she dared to put one of her paws on Alex's shoulder. Alex quickly got up and ran to her room, leaving the kitten behind, staring after her. 

A few minutes later, Sammy walked into the kitchen wearing a light purple spaghetti strap shirt, white bellbottom jeans, and white sandals. She saw the kitten and the bowl of cereal on the table. Then she turned to face Alex's closed bedroom door. She walked past the kitten to the phone on the wall. She picked it up and dialed a number. 

"Hey, Raye! How's it goin'? Listen, can you get all the others together at the temple, I've got something important to show you guys…k, see ya in ten. Thanks! Bye!" She hung the phone back on the hook, and walked over to the kitten. She looked into the bowl and gasped. 

"No, kitty, you're not supposed to eat those!" She picked up the bowl and dumped it into the sink. She grabbed a new bowl and the milk in the fridge. She grabbed another box of cereal, and made herself a bowl.

"Now, Oreo O's, that's the cereal you should eat!" she said, passing the bowl over to the kitten. The kitten sniffed at the cereal, and after a while of observation, she began to eat the cereal. 

"See, now, isn't that much better than that non-sugar stuff?" The kitten coughed it up and backed away from it. 

"What? How can you not like that!? It's one of the best cereals there is!" she said, placing her hands on her hips. The kitten meowed. Sammy sighed. She walked over to Alex's door, and knocked. 

"Alex, I'm gonna take the kitten over to Raye's, ok?" No answer. "Well, just lettin' ya know!" she said, walking away from the door. She walked over to the closet next to the door that led out of the apartment. Apollo walked out of Sammy's room and over to the girl in the closet. 

"Sammy, ready to go?"

"Yeah! Can you go and get the kitty over here? She's on the kitchen table!" Apollo walked over into the kitchen, and leapt onto the table, but found no kitten. He looked around and found her on the counter, her head stuck in the box of Honey Nut Cheerios. Apollo shook his head. He leapt off the table and onto the counter that she was on. He grabbed the box with his teeth and pulled. After a while of struggling, they finally got it off. Apollo looked her in the eyes. 

"Come on, let's go," he said, leaping off the counter, the kitten following his lead. Sammy walked up to them, a cat harness in each hand.

"It's a good thing I bought two!" she said with a smile. After getting the harness' on the two cats, she led them out of the apartment, leaving Alex behind in her room, laid down on her bed, still crying.

~~~

"Why are we here!? What's taking Sammy so long!?" cried Serena, jumping up and down.

"Serena, calm down," replied Darien, leaning against the wall, his arms folded across his chest.

"Raye! What did Sammy tell you exactly?" Serena said.

"She just said that she had something important to show us, that's all, now calm down already!" Raye said, frustrated.

"Well, I just hope that Alex doesn't come!" Serena said, leaning on the wall next to Darien, folding her arms like him. 

"Hey, does anyone know where Amara and the others went to? I haven't seen them for months." 

"Oh, she and the other outers are in America on a mission," said Amy.

"Well, why didn't we go, too?"

"Cuz Luna said that we're needed here, just in case," replied Amy.

"Well, we'll fill them in when they get back." Just then, Sammy ran through the door, Apollo on the harness and a bundle of purple fur in her arms. 

"Well, it's about time you got here! What's up?" said Raye.

"No time for chit-chat! Where's Artemis and Luna?" said Apollo. Artemis, Luna, and Diana ran up to him.

"What's the matter, bro?" said Artemis. 

"Look at this," said Sammy, bending down and putting the kitten on a red pillow. The kitten looked up, its golden moon shining. Everyone gasped. Mina pointed at it.

"Is that…a…" she stuttered.

"Yes, Mina. It's a Moon Cat," answered Artemis before she could finish.

"But I thought that you four were the only ones left!" she said.

"Apparently not," Luna replied.

"Oooh! What a cute little kitty!" Serena said, leaping forward and squeezing it in her arms. The cat, surprised by this sudden attack, slashed her across the face with her sharp claws. Serena let go of it, holding a hand to her face where the cat had scratched it. She sobbed and then broke down in tears. The cat ran up to Sammy and leapt into her arms, cuddling up against her.

"Serena, you klutz! You scared her!" said Sammy, stroking the kitten's soft head. She just kept on crying. Sammy put the cat down in front of Luna.

"Well, is there anything you can do?" Luna looked up at her.

"What do you mean, Sammy?"  


"Well, she seems to have forgotten who she is. She can't even talk like you can anymore."

"Hm, well, I'll see what I can do," Luna said. She looked into the kitten's big round eyes, and a beam shot out of her moon and into the kitten's. The kitten's eyes became wider, as she stared, but was staring at nothing in particular. After a minute, the beam disappeared, and Luna pulled back. The kitten, exhausted, fell down, closing her eyes. Luna turned to Artemis.

"Her memory is very vague. I couldn't see much. All I could see was darkness and I heard screams and explosions."

"Well, was there anything you could do?" Apollo said with sad eyes.

"Well, fortunately, I think she can talk now, but I think that's all I could give her back…" The kitten stirred. Apollo ran up to her side and nudged her head.

"Hey, kid, you all right?" She groaned, then lifted her head, and slowly opened her eyes.

"Wh…wha…" she started. "Where…am…I?"

"It's all right, you're safe," Apollo assured her. "Can you tell me your name?"

"My…name…?" 

"Yes," he replied calmly. "Do you remember your name?"

"I…I…don't know," she said, getting up. 

"Do you remember anything?" Luna asked her. 

"Who…am…I? What am I?" Artemis stepped forward.

"You're a Moon Cat…from the Moon Kingdom…the only type of cat that can talk in the whole Universe…" The cat stared out at nothing.

"Universe…Universe…Uni…Uni…" Apollo turned to Artemis.

"Uni?" He turned back to her. "Is that your name, Uni?" She looked at him and nodded.

"Y…yes…" she said, "it is…" Artemis turned to Luna.

"Sound familiar?" Luna put a paw to her face.

"Yes, it does ring a bell…" 

"Well, can you remember anything, Uni?" She turned to Apollo.

"Y…y…yes…Apollo…Sammy…Alex…Hermes…" She stared out again. "Hermes?" Then she threw herself down, and started to groan. Apollo turned to Artemis.

"Hermes? Who's Hermes?" Artemis faced Uni.

"Uni, who's Hermes?" No answer, Uni just lay there, resting.

"I think we should try again tomorrow. She's too tired and wounded right now to think," said Apollo.

"Yes, I suppose you're right," said Luna. Artemis walked up to the kitten, and helped her up.

"Hey…Uni…you hungry?" Uni looked up into his eyes.

"Yes…I am," she replied.

"Ok, is there anything in particular you wanna eat?" She thought hard for a while, then looked back at him

"Ya got any…Honey Nut Cheerios?"

~~~End of Part 3

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I expected to write more, but I got tired and people are waiting for this, so I just ended it here, cuz I'm tired and wanna go to bed (it's 11:00 p.m.).


	5. The Enemy Attacks

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Part 4

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The Enemy Attacks

Alex sat on her bed, still crying from the memories that had just come back to her. Why? Why didn't her father listen to her? Why? Why? 

"He should of listened," she said, sobbing, "He should of listened to me…"

~~~

Alex grabbed the bowl from the cupboard and jumped down off the counter. She landed on the floor with a light thud. She ran over to the table and put the bowl on it, poured her father's favorite cereal, Honey Nut Cheerios, into it, followed by the milk. She heard big heavy footsteps come from behind her. 

"Hey, whatcha doin, sport?" asked the big deep voice that she had always loved. She turned around and ran into her father's arms, giving him a big hug. He picked her up and held her. She turned back to the table and pointed at the bowl. 

"Wook, daddy! I made yoo ceweal!" she said in her small five-year-old voice. He sat down in the chair, placing her on his lap. 

"So you did! Oh, Honey Nut Cheerios! My favorite!" he said happily, giving her a quick little squeeze. She picked up the spoon and placed it in the bowl, scooping out a few of the little O's with milk. She carefully put it up to her father's face, into his mouth. He ate the cereal with a smile, chewing it thoroughly and swallowing it.

"Yoo like it, daddy?" she said, looking into his eyes. He smiled and squeezed her again.

"I love it, sweetie…" he replied.

"I love yoo, daddy…" said Alex, still hugging her father.

"I love you too, Alex…" 

~~~

After her flashback, Alex wiped the tears off her face and out of her eyes. She sniffed, and then had another flashback. She remembered that day, the terrible day of her father's…

~~~

She and her dad were in front of her school, ready for another day. Before she left, her father swooped her up in his great big arms and said, "Hey, sweetie, I gotta go today, daddy's got an important thing to do…" he said, holding her in his arms.

"What're yoo gonna do, daddy?"

"Daddy's got a big jump that he's gotta make, but I'll be fine…"

"Daddy, I don't want yoo to go…I don't wike it when yoo go…" He smiled.

"I'll only be gone for a little while, I'll be back," he assured her. Alex sucked on her thumb. He gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. 

"Now, I want you to be a good little girl for the babysitter when she picks you up from school, ok? I'll be back in a couple days," he put her down and led her into the classroom, hand in hand.

~~~

"But you never did come back, dad. I didn't want you to go…" she sniffed. "And you got killed…you promised you'd come back…" She put her head down on her pillow, and cried herself to sleep.

~~~

It was a beautiful spring day, the birds chirping, the crickets singing, the wind whistling, everything was beautiful that day. Sammy and the two cats were walking home. Uni was resting in Sammy's arms. Sammy had their harnesses and leashes swinging around her neck. She sighed. 

"I wonder how Alex is doing…" Apollo looked up to her.

"Whatdya mean?" Sammy looked down at him.

"Well, I told her where we were going, and she didn't answer."

"Maybe she's still mad about letting you keep Uni?"

"Hmm…maybe…" Uni looked up at Sammy.

"Is Alex the other girl at the house?" Sammy looked down at Uni, smiling from ear to ear.

"Yes, she is." Uni frowned, looking down.

"I think it's my fault that she's in her room and did not answer you…" 

"Whatdya mean, Uni?" 

"Well," Uni started, "this morning, I woke up and went out of your room, and I found her in the kitchen, making food. I was kinda hungry…so I jumped up onto the table and ate some of it. She stopped me and put me down on the floor, but she got mad and said that she 'forgot the spoon'…whatever that is…anyway, she got back up, and I liked the food so much, that I got back onto the table and ate some of it again. This time she did not stop me, but smiled…and she was nice to me. She asked me if I liked it, and she said something about the cereal and her father…" Sammy gasped and put a hand to her lips.

"She…she…told you about her father?" she whispered, her hand trembling.

"Well, not really. She told me that Honey Nut Cheerios was his favorite cereal…then she was sad and began to cry. I tried to comfort her, but she ran into her room and slammed the door," she replied. She looked back up at Sammy's now sad face. "Was it something I did to her?" Sammy sighed deeply. She turned her head and looked toward the park that they were passing. 

"Come on. Let's go to the park and I'll explain…"

~~~

Back in the darkness, man and monster walked through the night, over the cold black ground. The man's cape covered his body completely, and the creature crawled next to him on all four of his feet. The man closed his eyes and smiled. 

__

Yes, it is almost time for me to destroy this puny little insignificant galaxy and take over the universe. The creature stopped, and so did he. The man looked around in the darkness with his glowing red eyes. He turned to the creature at his feet. 

"Well, where are they?" The creature bowed silently then ran over to a pile of dust. He began to paw at it, and after a while of tossing dust here and there, he emerged from the hole he was making, a pouch dangling between his jaws. The man smiled evilly. 

"Excellent work, Nemesis. You've made me proud." The creature ran up to him and bowed. He dropped the pouch in front of his master. 

"I only do what you ask, my liege," he replied, still in his bowing position. The man bent over and scooped up the bag. He slowly opened up the top by untying the string that held the two flaps at the top together. He looked into the dark bag, then dumped the contents the bag held onto the black ground. Out fell three bugs, two were spiders, the other a praying mantis. 

"This is all going wonderfully…according to plan. Once again a job well done, Nemesis." He tossed the side of his cape away from his arm in a swift movement. He raised his hand in the air and a white ball began to form in his palm. After it was about as big as a basketball, he tossed it down on the three bugs in a blinding splash of light. The creature shielded his eyes with his paws and the man shielded his with his long cape. After the light cleared away, swallowed by the darkness that was all around, they both uncovered their eyes and looked at the now mutant arachnids. The green one, half-human and half-mantis, raised his long flat arms into the air and screamed, "MANTISSSSSSS!!!" The next creature followed, looking just like the mantis only it was black with eight spiny legs. It also screamed, "BLACK WIDOW!!!" The third, the biggest of the three, looked up at the man, its green eyes glowing, its eight legs wrapped around its red body. It followed the two previous screams with its name, "ARACHNIA!!!" The man laughed. 

"Welcome, my friends. I am your leader, Negadeth, ruler of oblivion." He pointed a finger at the creature beside him. "And this is my slave and your general…Nemesis, prince of darkness." The creatures bowed to their new leaders. "Arise, my slaves. I have made you like this using my awesome supernatural powers, and in return for my kindness of making you big and strong, I want you to obey me and do as I and Nemesis command at all time." He pointed at the red spider. "You are Arachnia…correct?" 

Arachnia bowed to the man. "Yes, I am the one called Arachnia."

"A rather unusual name for a spider." 

"Well, you see, my liege, my kind has no name…I do not know who or what I am." Negadeth nodded. 

"Very well…you are now Commander Arachnia, leader of the force." Arachnia bowed. 

"Thank you, master." He turned to the next arachnid. 

"You are called Black Widow?" She bowed. "Yes, master, my name is Black Widow, your most humble servant." Negadeth nodded to her. 

"You, my dear slave, are second-in-command." She bowed. Negadeth turned to the green giant, the last of his small army. 

"And you are the one they call Mantis?" Mantis bowed low. "Yesss, massster, I am the one called Mantisss." 

"Very well. You shall be the first to go." Mantis looked up at his leader. 

"The firssst to go, massster? What do you mean?" Negadeth smiled evilly. 

"You shall be the first to destroy the Sailor Scouts!"

~~~

Back at the park, Sammy, Apollo, and Uni were sitting on a white bench. Sammy sighed. "And that's how it all happened." Uni frowned. 

"Her father…died?" 

"Yes," said Apollo. "He was in the army. He died when she was five, in an air to ground jump."

"That's so sad…" Uni tried to smile. "I don't even remember my parents…" her smile disappeared. Sammy looked down at the sad kitten. Uni jumped off the bench and ran over to the side of the lake. Apollo looked up at Sammy. Sammy looked at Apollo. Both were frowning. Then Apollo jumped off the bench and ran toward Uni. He ran to her side and sat down next to her. Uni had her eyes closed, a tear running down her soft magenta face. She opened her eyes and looked at the calm rippling water. 

"Apollo?" Apollo looked at her. Uni closed her eyes again. "Do you remember who I am?" Apollo sighed, then looked back at the water.

"There were so many Guardian Cats on the moon, I can't remember all of them…Uni?" Uni turned to him.

"When you were naming the people you remember, you mentioned a Hermes…who's Hermes?" Uni smiled, tears forming in her eyes. 

"He was someone very dear to me…I loved him very much…" her smiled faded. She shook her head, tears flying in all directions. She turned back to the water. 

"Uni? Uni, can you tell me about Hermes? Who was he?" Uni shook.

"I…I don't know…Apollo…" She turned back to him, her eyes now filled with tears. She was trying hard to hold them back. "I really don't know…" Then she couldn't hold it back any longer, and broke down crying. She buried her head into Apollo's soft chest, tears streaming down her face. Apollo put a paw around her shoulders, leaning his head on hers.

"Shhhhhh, it's ok, Uni. It's ok. Don't cry…" he said softly, trying to calm her down. He turned his head toward Sammy, who was still sitting on the bench, tears forming in her eyes. She smiled and dabbed the end of her shirtsleeve under her eyes, soaking up the water coming out of them. She heard a giggle, an evil one. 

"Huh?" she said softly, looking up above the lake. She gasped and quickly got up. "Uni! Apollo! Look out!" Both cats turned around, back to the lake, and gasped loudly. The giggle came again, from the creature hovering over the lake, its arms folded, its red eyes glowing. Its green lips were curled up into a huge evil grin. Then faster than lightning, it raised its arms above its head, forming a little ball in the palm of its green hand. It shot it down at the two cats. Apollo gasped.

"Uni! Watch out!" he screamed, pushing her out of the way. The blast came right toward him, hitting the area that he was standing. Uni tumbled to the side, and sat back up. She looked back at where Apollo was standing, but all that was left was a huge cloud of dust and a crater in the ground. There was no Apollo. 

"APOLLO!!!" 

~~~End of Part 4

AUTHOR'S NOTE: K, I know some people who hate me right now for stopping it here, but it's a good cliffhanger. You probably can't wait for Part 5. Hehehe…


	6. Battle In The Park

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Part 5

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Battle In The Park

"APOLLO!" Uni screamed, getting up and rushing toward the smoky area, dust flying everywhere. Sammy ran up to her, and the two searched for Apollo. The creature above the lake laughed evilly. 

"Hahaha! One down, two to go!" He raised his arm again, forming another ball in his hand. He tossed it at Uni and Sammy. They both gasped, covering their faces with their arms. The creature laughed maniacally as the ball headed straight for the two defenseless beings that he was about to destroy. 

"EARTH WATER REFLECTION!" screamed a female voice. The ball of light bounced off a barrier of water surrounding Uni and Sammy, and headed straight back at the enemy. The enemy quickly moved aside as the ball zoomed past his head, straight up into the sky, and exploded. The enemy looked at the cloud of smoke in the sky, and growled. 

"And there's plenty more where that came from, pal!" He turned in the direction of the voice. 

"What wasss that? Who are you?" he asked in a hoarse voice. The attacker stood there, leaning against a tree, arms folded across her chest. Her dark hair and short blue skirt were waving in the light breeze. She had a blue collar, green bows, blue knee high boots, and a golden tiara on her head. In the middle of the bow on her chest was a blue heart. Her eyes were closed. Sammy gasped, then smiled.

"It's Sailor Earth!" Uni turned to her. "Sailor Earth?" She turned back, mouth wide open. Sailor Earth opened her eyes and looked at the enemy angrily. 

"That's right! I am Sailor Earth, strongest of the sailor scouts!" The enemy smiled evilly once again. 

"Sssailor Earth, huh? Isss that right? Well, allow me to introduccce myssself. My name is Mantisss. My missssion is to dessstroy all sssailor ssscouts!" Sailor Earth unfolded her arms and pointed at the enemy with a gloved hand. 

"I don't care who you are, those who try to hurt my friends must be punished." The enemy scowled. 

"Punish me?! I'll show you!" he said angrily. He then raised his hand in the air again, creating another ball, and threw it at Sailor Earth. She leapt high into the air, easily dodging the attack. It blew up next to the tree, taking part of the tree with it. Sailor Earth landed on her feet next to a bush. She raised her arms high into the air. 

"HURRICANE HORROR!" she screamed as a big tidal came crashing down on Mantis. Sailor Earth smiled, but her smile soon faded when all the water cleared. Mantis was still there, surrounded by a blue barrier he had used to block the watery attack. The barrier disappeared, and Mantis smiled. Sailor Earth growled, as another ball of light headed toward her. She leapt away, heading straight for the enemy. Mantis, taken by surprise, didn't see her coming. She kicked out with her foot, landing the kick right in his stomach. She pulled her hand back, ready to punch him in the face. She brought it toward him faster than lightning, but his green hand came up, blocking her attack. Her fist landed right in the palm of his hand, and he wrapped his long green fingers around her fist, squeezing hard. Sailor Earth winced in pain. Mantis smiled, squeezing harder, until his pointy fingers dug into her hand. 

Sailor Earth looked at her hand, blood oozing out of the cuts his fingertips had made. He squeezed harder, until there came a crunching of bone from her hand. Then, with his other hand, he grabbed the back of her head and slammed her face into his knee. Sailor Earth groaned. Mantis grabbed her by the hair and tossed her into the lake with a big splash. Sammy and Uni gasped.

"Sailor Earth! NO!" Sammy screamed.

"Sammy!" came a male voice from beside her. She looked down, and there was Apollo.

"Apollo!" she said, kneeling down. "We though that you were destroyed by the blast! Are you ok?!" 

"There's no time for that! Sailor Earth needs help!" Sammy nodded. She raised her hand in the air.

"Sun Crystal Power!" she cried. A bright light surrounded her. Uni stared in amazement.

"What's happening to Sammy!?" she cried. When the light faded, Sammy had on a sailor uniform with a red skirt, a red collar, orange bows, red knee high boots, white gloves and a tiara on her head. Uni gasped.

"No way! Sammy…you're…you're…" Sammy looked down at her and smiled. 

"That's right! I'm Sailor Sun!" she said proudly, placing her hands on her hips.

"But…but how?" Sammy stared at Mantis. Mantis stared back. 

"No time for that, Uni." She spun around in a circle and put her hands in the air. A miniature sun appeared in it. Holding it beside her, she bent down, ready to jump. "Time for me to go kick some Negaverse butt!" She leapt into the air, straight at Mantis. The enemy stood there, waiting. Sammy brought her arm back, and threw the sun straight at Mantis. He chuckled, then leapt toward the sun, straight into it. The sun bounced off him and straight back at Sammy. Sammy gasped. 

"Sammy! Dodge it! Go to the left!" Doing as Apollo commanded, she shifted to the left, dodging the sun, but she was too late, the sun landed on her shoulder. She yelped in pain. She fell back to the ground with a thud. Uni ran up to her with Apollo close beside her. Sammy looked at her shoulder, blood gushing from the gash the sun had made. She looked back at Mantis and growled, looking at him with evil eyes. He floated there in the air, waiting. She pushed herself off the ground and stood up. 

"Uni! Go with Apollo and hide, now!"

"What?" Uni narrowed her eyes. "No way! I'm staying here and fighting with you! I won't run like a coward." Apollo jumped in front of her, pushing her back with his head. 

"No, Uni. You're hurt! I won't allow it! Now let's go!" he said. Uni turned and ran with Apollo, toward the exit of the park. Sailor Sun leapt toward Mantis, ready to fight fist to fist, although that was more Sailor Earth's specialty.

"Come on! Let's go get the others!" he said. The enemy turned to them, a mad look on his face. Before Sammy reached him, he raised his hand into the air, creating once again another ball of light. He shot it toward the two fleeing cats. Uni looked back at Mantis right when he shot the blast at them. The blast was actually heading straight for Apollo, who was a little ahead of her (she couldn't quite keep up, due to her wounds). She gasped, then a rush of adrenaline gave her a boost of speed. She ran straight for Apollo. 

"Apollo! Look out!" He turned and gasped as he saw the bright light coming in his direction. Right when the blast was about to hit him head on, Uni rammed into him, pushing him out of the way just like he did to her before. The blast hit the ground with a loud boom, followed by a burst of blinding fiery light. Apollo and Uni were blown far away, right in front of a tree, both landing on their sides. Uni groaned, and Apollo looked at her. 

"Uni, are you all right?" She looked up at him, one eye closed with a bleeding scratch on her forehead that was created when she hit the ground. They both began to get up, but Uni stumbled. Uni groaned again, tears spurting out of her opened bloodshot eye.

"Oh, it hurts…" she said weakly. 

"Uni!" Apollo looked at her with sad eyes. Both of her backlegs were badly bruised from the blast, and her right backleg was broken, the bone was poking through the skin, blood oozing from the wound. 

"Uni, you're hurt bad, but you can't stop now! You have to get up! We gotta get outta here and get the others!" Uni struggled to get up, but couldn't, and kept on falling back down. Then she finally gave up, and lay her head down.

"Uni! Please! If we stay here, we'll be killed!" 

"Apollo…" Uni groaned, "I can't…I just…have to rest…" Mantis, now fighting with Sailor Sun, had punched Sammy in the stomach, sending her back to the earth with a loud thud once again. He turned back to the two cats and smiled at them both evilly, like he always does, as he created another ball of deadly light. He laughed loudly, raising his hand above his head.

"Sssay goodbye, kittiesss!" he said before tossing the ball of light at the two wounded cats. There was a splash of water from under him, and then something rammed into his stomach. Mantis was stunned. The thing then brought its hand into a fist and then shot it up, connecting with Mantis' green jaw. There was a loud crunch as he flew back and headed straight for the lake's icy water, landing headfirst into it with a loud splash. Apollo ran over to Sammy, who was lying on the ground, breathing heavily, her eyes closed. Her uniform was now covered with dirt and blood, and she had a cut on her face, right under her eye. Apollo licked one of her dust-covered blood-caked cheeks. 

"Sammy, wake up, it's over. Sailor Earth took care of that creep!" Sammy opened her eyes and turned her head toward the cat. She smiled. 

"Good for her…I knew she could do it…I knew she wasn't finished…" She sat up, and put a hand to her head. "Oh man, my head's killing me…" Apollo put a paw on her leg. 

"We'll take care of that, right now, Uni's hurt…bad…" 

Sailor Earth landed back on the shore, her uniform soaking wet, her nose bleeding, her hand also bleeding and limp, and her right eye was swollen shut. She stood tall, looking at Uni, who was lying on the ground, breathing slowly, blood flowing from her cuts. There was a splash and a roar of anger from the lake as Mantis emerged from it, a huge ball of light, bigger than him in his hands. His jaw was bleeding blue blood, and his red eyes were now dark red. 

"Sssailor Earth!" he screamed, "Sssay GOODBYE!" He brought his arms far behind his head, and with all his might, threw the ball toward the scout and the kitten. Sammy and Apollo screamed.

"Alex! Uni! Get outta there!" Sailor Sun screamed. Sailor Earth turned to Uni, scooped her up in her arms, and leapt out of the way of the disastrous light just as it slammed into the earth behind them. When they hit the ground, Alex covered Uni with her body as rocks and dust flew past them. Uni looked up at Sailor Earth with her good eye, mouth slightly open. 

"Sailor Earth…Alex…" she said weakly, before passing out. When the dust cleared, Alex quickly got up, leaving Uni where she was on the ground. She leapt toward Mantis, ready to fight him head on. Mantis got into a fighting pose, ready for the same thing. Sailor Earth brought her hand up above her head.

"WEATHER WHIP!" she hollered, as a chain of lightning formed in her hand. She brought it straight at the enemy, wrapping it around his green body. Mantis was completely taken by surprise again. Now trapped by Sailor Earth, he did not know what to do. The whip of lightning zapped him for a long time, till his body began to smoke. Sailor Earth let go of the whip, making it disappear. Mantis stumbled backwards a little, his energy almost at its lowest. He groaned and growled at Sailor Earth. Sailor Earth smiled at him. 

"That's what you get for pickin' on creatures smaller and weaker than yourself, ya bully!" Mantis continued to growl with fury in his eyes. After a while of staring at the ruthless sailor soldier, a black portal suddenly appeared behind him. He slowly stepped back toward the portal, and disappeared into the darkness, leaving the four wounded scouts and cats behind.

~~~

Mantis appeared before Negadeth, bowing as low as he could. Negadeth had his back turned to him. To Mantis' right stood Arachnia and Black Widow. 

"My liege, I'm sorry, but I failed you…" Mantis said. There was a long moment of silence. Negadeth and the others stood as they were. Mantis had little beads of sweat drip down his forehead and run down his beaten and bruised face. 

"You have disappointed me, Mantis. I shall have to punish you." Mantis looked up at him with frightened eyes.

"Master, I'm extremely sorry for angering you, please, give me one more chance," Mantis begged. Negadeth took a deep breath. He turned on Mantis, wrapping one gloved hand around Mantis' neck and raising him up a foot off the ground. Mantis gasped for air, kicking his feet and grabbing his master's hands, trying to loosen his grip. Mantis slowly began to lose his energy as Negadeth began to drain it out of his body.

"I don't give second chances to failures, Mantis! And I need energy, Mantis, and you failed to get it for me! I think you are trying to destroy your master! Well, no problem, I'll just take yours," Negadeth said, gradually tightening his grip, sucking out his energy.

"Please, master…mercccyyyyyyyyy…" he groaned hoarsely, before his body was completely drained of energy. Negadeth frowned evilly.

"Mercy to a failure? Never." He then tightened his grip as tight as he could, and a few seconds later, Mantis' head flew off his shoulders, blood gushing out of his neck, now a blue bloody stump. His body fell to the ground, limp like a rag doll. Negadeth lowered his arm, Mantis' blood dripping off his hand. Black Widow looked in bewilderment, while Arachnia stayed calm.

"Arachnia, it's up to you now."

"What?" asked Black Widow. "Master, why don't you let me go? I can finish these pesky sailor scouts off for you easily." Negadeth lowered his head.

"You question my orders, Black Widow?" Black Widow gasped softly. She bowed down before him in apology, although he had his back turned so he couldn't see. 

"I'm sorry, sir. I won't question you again."

"That's a good girl," he said with a smile. Arachnia bowed to him now. "Remember, don't finish them off, be sure to get their energy for me before you do. Don't make the same mistake that Mantis did. I need it to live, and I trust you with my life, Arachnia."

"I am honored, sir. I await your orders to attack," Arachnia said. 

"Prepare another warrior for the next attack. I give you one day. I'll be waiting…"

"Yes, sir. I will not fail you…"

~~~

Black Widow was in her chamber, seated on her bed, combing her long black hair with her brush. 

"How come Arachnia gets to be the commander," she got up and walked over to her mirror.

"Yes, sir! I will not fail you…" she said in a babyish voice, mocking Arachnia. She slammed the brush down on the table in front of her. 

"Ha! She thinks she's better than me, well, we'll just see about that…" _I'll make sure that she does not succeed! I'll show her who's the boss! _

She smiled to herself in the mirror. She started to comb her hair again. 

"Oh yes, I'll show her…" 

~~~

"Is it gone?" Sailor Sun asked. Sailor Earth walked up to her, standing beside her. 

"I guess it is…" she replied. 

"Sailor Earth! Sailor Sun!" said a voice entering the park. The two scouts turned their heads towards the entrance, and saw Moon, Mars, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Chibi Moon and the three cats running toward them. 

"Hey! Guys! Over here!" Sailor Sun said, waving to them. Sailor Moon reached them first.

"Are you all right, Sammy?" Sammy nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine, I didn't get my butt kicked as much as Alex did," she said, smiling at Alex. Alex looked at her with angry eyes. Then she closed them, and turned around.

"I don't get my butt kicked, I let the enemy get a couple hits on me…it helps me get stronger…tougher…" Sammy rolled her eyes.

"Oh, suuuuuuuuuuure!" she said in a sarcastic voice. Uni limped over to Sammy. Sammy gasped, falling on her knees in front of her. She scooped her up in her arms.

"Uni, are you ok?" Uni looked up at her with her good eye, smiling. 

"Yes, I'm fine." All the scouts' mouths dropped wide open, their eyes bugging out. 

"How can you say you're ok when you look like you're half dead?!" they all said at the same time. Uni looked at them all. She leapt out of Sammy's arms and onto her feet, which was a bad idea, since her backleg was broken. She stumbled to the ground, falling flat on her face. Apollo, Luna, Artemis, and Diana ran up to her. 

"Uni, dear, you shouldn't jump like that, not with a leg like that!" Luna said with a caring voice. Uni looked up to her with watery eyes. 

"Yes ma'am, I know…" Luna smiled. "Now, we better clean your wounds, or they'll get infected," Luna said, walking up to her and started to lick the wound on Uni's forehead. Uni giggled, closing her eyes.

"Thank you, mom…" Her eyes shot open with horror, her mouth dropped down. Luna backed away. 

"Mother?" Uni repeated, falling to the ground, eyes half open. Apollo ran up to her, putting a paw on her shoulder. 

"Uni, do you remember something? Something about your mother?" he asked.

"Mother…mother…mother…" she faded away, closing her eyes…

~~~End Part 5

AUTHOR'S NOTE: No comment, except that this is so far probably the best part I've typed…hope ya liked it, please review it…


	7. Uni's Parents

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Part 6

__

Uni's Parents

"Uni! Uni, wake up!" said Sammy sadly, cradling Uni in her arms. All the scouts, now back to their normal selves, were at Raye's temple. They rushed there as soon as Uni passed out. All the scouts were circled around Sammy and Uni. Alex was casually leaning against a wall, arms folded across her chest. Her hand was in a cast Raye had made for her, and her wounds were covered with bandages. Her nose had stopped bleeding, so she didn't need a bandage for it. Sammy also had bandages on, and her arm was in a sling, because it was badly sprained. She had Uni in her other arm, hugging her close to her body. 

"Uni…" she whispered, her eyes watering. She turned to the four cats, sitting on a pillow. Her eyes narrowed with anger.

"Apollo!" she screamed. He was frightened by the sudden shout, and he lost his balance and fell flat on his back. He quickly scrambled back to his feet. He looked at Sammy with wide eyes. 

"What is it, Sammy?" he said softly.

"Isn't there anything you can do?! Don't just sit there, do something for her!" 

"Sammy," Artemis said, defending his brother. "There is nothing Apollo or any of us can do right now. Uni has to wake up on her own…" Uni shuddered in Sammy's arms. Sammy gasped and looked down at her, with her mouth slightly open. Then Uni stopped and went limp again.

"Mother…" she mumbled. Sammy looked at Artemis.

"Arty, why does she keep on mumbling about her mother…" Artemis sighed deeply. He stared Sammy in the eyes.

"Sammy…" he said softly, "Uni…she's reliving her past on the Moon Kingdom…through her dreams…" They stared at eachother for a while, then he smiled. "She'll be fine, just give her some time to rest. We can ask her all about it when she wakes up." Artemis put a paw on her leg. "Now, I'm sure that the Sailor Sun Healing Wand can do something about her wounds." Sammy smiled, then reached into her pocket, taking out the wand. She held it above Uni, closing her eyes in concentration. The wand began to glow. Slowly, Uni's wounds began to close, even the big wound the bone had created. When she was done, she put it back in her pocket. She turned to Artemis.

"Someone get me some bandages," she said. 

"I'll go get it," said Raye, going into a cabinet and grabbing a roll of cloth bandage. She walked over to Sammy and handed it to her. Sammy took it and began to wrap it around Uni's broken leg. 

"Her wounds are healed, but not her leg bone. The wand can't heal broken bones, those gotta heal on their own," she explained, finishing the wrap and hooking the clips on to keep it in place. Artemis nodded. 

"That's fine. Good work, Sammy. Maybe you and Alex should use the wands on yourselves?" Alex got off the wall she was leaning on. 

"I feel fine. I don't need the wand to heal my wounds…" she said flatly. Sammy sighed. 

"Well, I'm not using the wand on myself until Uni wakes up." Artemis nodded again.

"That's fine with me." He looked at Uni, who was breathing heavily. "Now, all we gotta do is wait…" 

~~~ 

The scouts waited for hours, and still, Uni was asleep. She stirred once in a while and mumbled something. All the scouts were asleep, except for Alex and Lita. Lita turned to Alex, who was leaning on the wall once again. Lita smiled.

"You still awake?" Alex turned to her. 

"Who can sleep with Serena's snoring?" Lita covered her mouth to stop from laughing. Uni stirred, and the two looked over at her. 

"Mommy…daddy…I want…daddy…" she said, then fell silent once again. 

"Poor thing…" Lita said. 

"Tell me about it," replied Alex. Lita turned to her. 

"What's this? You actually pity Uni?" Alex closed her eyes. There was a brief moment of silence, and then Alex broke it.

"That's not what I said," she said coldly. Lita frowned, then turned back to Uni, who was mumbling again. 

"So, whatdya think Uni's going through now?" Lita asked.

"Whatdya mean? What do I think she's seeing in her dreams?" Alex questioned. Lita turned to her with a smile.

"Well, yeah." 

"All I know is that she's seeing her past in the Moon Kingdom."

"Well, when she wakes up, ya gonna stick around to hear about it?" Alex got off the wall, and sat cross-legged on a red pillow next to Sammy. 

"I guess." There was silence again. Lita took a deep breath.

"So, how was your day?"

"What's it look like? I woke up in the middle of the night, scared half to death by that cat, who I thought was a rat, was reminded of my past by Uni, had to fight a youma and ended up with a broken hand and an almost broken nose. Gee, I guess my day's been great, don't ya think?" 

"What do ya mean, Uni reminded you of your past." Alex's eyes went wide, then she looked away from Lita.

"Never mind," she said quickly.

"Um, ok," Lita replied. She smiled.

"That youma must have been a pretty tough fighter if he actually got a couple hits off ya. Either that or you're a little rusty…" Alex looked at her angrily. 

"RUSTY!" She covered her mouth, and looked at Sammy, who stirred a little, almost awakened by Alex's screaming. "Rusty?!" she whispered harshly. "I did it on purpose! I let the youma get a couple hits off me, cuz it toughens me up!" Lita rolled her eyes back.

"Suuuuuuureeeeeee!" she said sarcastically. Alex folded her arms across her chest and closed her eyes in concentration. "Alex," Lita started, "You don't like Uni that much, do you?" 

Not looking up at Lita, she replied, "I like that cat as much as I like Apollo." Lita looked up at the ceiling.

"Well, what I wanna know," she said, and lowered her head back down, looking at Alex seriously, "is who's Cat Guardian Uni is?" Alex let out a small laugh.

"Well, for one thing, she's not mine, that's for sure." Lita got off the wall and sat down next to Alex. 

"Well, ya never know," she said. They sat there for a while, silent. Serena's snoring was the only thing that broke the silence. Alex opened one eye and looked over at Serena, who was mumbling something about Darien (as usual!). 

"Could you please shut her up?" Alex said irritably. Lita giggled. She looked over at Serena.

"But look at her! I think she's cute when she's asleep…" Lita leaned over to look in Serena's face. "Sleeping like a baby," she said, poking Serena in the shoulder, but her poke was more like a gentle shove, and Serena came tumbling down, hitting her head on the hard floor. Lita and Alex gasped. 

Oh great! thought Alex, covering her ears, _here she goes! She's gonna wake up and start cryin' like the big baby she is! _But Alex was wrong; Serena was still fast asleep. The two let out a huge sigh, then looked at eachother, and started to giggle. Uni began to stir. Alex and Lita looked over at her. 

"Mommy? Mommy…where are…you?"

~~~

"Mommy!" screamed Uni, as she backed up against the wall behind her. The shadow with red glowing eyes in front of her inched forward, it's claws extended out, ready to grab her. Uni threw herself down on the floor and covered her head with her paws. The creature's eyes grew redder, as its sharp black claws made their way toward the shivering cat. There was a flash of gray as another cat grabbed the creature's hand with its teeth. The creature roared, as green blood flowed from his hand through the cat's teeth. The creature swung his hand around, trying to get the cat off. After a while, it did, and it flew off the shadowy creature's hand and hit the wall Uni was backing up against with a thud. The cat's body fell to the ground next to Uni. The cat got up slowly to face the creature again. Uni nuzzled up against its warm body. It pushed her off, not taking its eyes off the creature in front of them for a second. 

"You have to get out of here!" said the cat, a female, obviously her mother, to Uni.

"But mommy!" Her mother glanced over at her for a second to scold her. "Get out of here! Now!" Looking away from the creature was a mistake, as it lunged at the two cats, straight into the wall. Rocks flew everywhere. Uni was thrown aside, down a steep rock wall. She hit the ground with a thud, and was out cold in a few seconds. 

~~~

Uni woke up a while later, still in the same alley she had landed in. Her vision was fuzzy. She got up on her legs, but stumbled. She groaned, and looked at her backleg. It was broken, she could tell, although the bone wasn't sticking through her skin or anything like that. She dragged herself forward, tears spurting from her eyes.

"Mommy!" she cried in a weak voice. Her scream echoed through the barren city. She crawled on, screaming for her mother.

"Mommy!? Mommy! Mo…" her eyes went wide with horror. There, a few feet in front of her, was the body of a gray cat, her mother, blood crusted all over her body. Fresh blood was trickling around the crumbled rocks around her. She had a huge gash in her side. Her guts were spilling out of the side. Some of her insides were scattered around her mangled body. Her tongue was hanging limply out of her opened mouth, and blood was dripping out of her mouth. One of her ears was completely torn off, and there was a big gash coming down from her other ear to her chin, coming right across her eye, which wasn't in the socket anymore. Uni stood there in shock, and then there was a rumbling from behind her, but she didn't care what it was, she just stood there, still in shock at seeing her mother's mutilated body. The creature that had killed her mother flew toward Uni, ready to kill her. Uni, now coming to her senses, turned around to face the monster. She screamed. 

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

~~~

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" screamed Uni, as she finally woke up. She leapt into the air and landed ontop of Apollo's sleeping body. Apollo woke up and gave a loud yowl. Apollo's yowl mixed with Uni's screaming woke everyone in the temple up. Apollo grabbed Uni, and covered her mouth with his paw.

"Uni!" he screamed. Uni began to calm down. "Uni," he said softer, she finally fell silent. Her eyes were wide open and bloodshot, staring straight into Apollo's blue eyes. "Uni, what's wrong?" he asked calmly, taking his paw off her mouth. Uni stared at him for a while, then broke down in tears. She cried for a while, and when Sammy was finally all the way awake, she crawled over to her and scooped her up in her arms. Uni cried for about five minutes then began to calm down, only sobbing once in a while. Sammy set her down on a pillow as soon as she calmed down all the way. Sammy smiled at her, stroking her soft head.

"Did ya have a bad dream? What did you see, Uni?" Uni looked into Sammy's caring eyes, then took a deep breath, and began her story.

"I saw it all, my childhood with my parents…" Everyone gasped. Artemis walked up to her and put a paw on her shoulder.

"Tell us all about it, Uni…" She looked into his eyes, then looked away, taking a deep breath.

"My mother's name was Star. She and I lived in the slums of the Moon Kingdom, together with my brother, Nemo. My brother and I were playing one day, when we were attacked by something, a huge shadow with red glowing eyes…" Tears began to form in her eyes, and she tried hard to hold them back. She closed her eyes and bowed her head.

"I escaped from the creature, but Nemo…" she sniffed, and shook her head. "I'm sorry…"

"It's ok, Uni. We know how hard this must be for you, but you must tell us about it. Maybe one of us will be able to help you remember who you were if we knew about your parents…" Apollo said to her. She looked at him and smiled. 

"All right, I'll try." She took another deep breath, and continued.

"I went to my mother and told her what happened. We searched everywhere, but he was nowhere to be found…I never saw him again…" She wiped her eyes with her right paw, and sniffled. 

"My mother loved me and my brother very much. It broke our hearts when Nemo never turned up." Apollo looked at everyone. 

"Does anyone remember who Nemo is?" Everyone shook their head, except for Alex, of course, who wasn't willing to participate. 

"No, I don't remember a cat named Nemo."

"The name doesn't ring a bell." 

"Never heard of him…"

"Ok, Uni," Apollo said, turning back to her. "Go on," Uni nodded, and went on with her story.

"One day, I asked my mother who my father was and where he was all the time. She told me that my father was killed long ago, before I was born. Other cats, my mom's friends, told me that my father was selfish and irresponsible, and that he left my mother when he heard that she was going to have kittens. I never believed them. I never met my father, but my mom said that his name was Comet…and that she loved him very much…" 

"Anyone know who Star or Comet were?" Everyone said no.

"Keep going, Uni…"

"When I was five, the shadow came to me again, trying to kill me. My mom tried to stop it, and told me to leave and go where it was safe, but I didn't want to leave her, because she was all I had in the world. The creature lunged at us, and I fell to the side and down the building. I was unconscious for hours, and when I woke up, my leg was broken. It was hard to get around, but I did find my mom…" Uni closed her eyes. "She…was…" Then she broke down again, throwing herself down on the pillow. Apollo put a paw on her shoulder. He looked at everyone. They were all trying to hold back the tears that were forming in their eyes. Apollo looked at Uni once she started to calm down. 

"Is that it, Uni?" Uni looked at him, and nodded. 

"The rest is unimportant family matters and days with my brother…"

"Can you tell us more about your brother?" She stared off ahead of her, looking at nothing in particular. She concentrated for a while, then looked back at Apollo. 

"Only that he had black fur…and an upside-down gray crescent moon on his forehead…" Apollo said nothing, and looked over at his brother, Artemis. Artemis looked over at everyone.

"All right, people, this meeting is over," he declared. 

"It's about time," Alex said coldly.

"Alex!" Sammy said, looking at her sternly. "How can you be so cold? Don't you feel sorry for Uni a little?"

"I don't feel sorry for anyone." She turned around and made her way out the door. Sammy sighed. 

"Come on, Uni. Let's go home. I'll make you a bowl of Cheerios." Uni looked up at Sammy with a smile.

"Thank you, Sammy!"

"Don't mention it," she said, watching Alex, hands in her pockets, strolling down the stairs casually. "It's the least I can do…" She got up and scooped up Uni and Apollo. "Now come on, you two! We better hurry up, or Alex'll have a fit!"

~~~End of Part 6

AUTHOR'S NOTE: So, how do you like how I explained what Uni's mother's body looked like after the attack. I'm sorry to the little kids who read this and were scared. Please don't tell your parents about how scary it was. I don't wanna be sued or anything…


	8. A Day At The Vet

****

Part 7

__

A Day at the Vet

It was a warm, sunny Saturday afternoon, and Uni, Sammy, Apollo and Alex were slowly making their way back home from Raye's temple. Alex was ahead of the others, eager to get home. She turned on her heels and faced Sammy and the others, who were lagging behind.

"Can't you three go any faster?! We don't have all day!" she said angrily, her hands on her hips. Sammy and Apollo were looking at Uni, who didn't look too good. Her head was hanging low, her eyes staring at the ground moving below her as she walked. She was breathing heavily and groaning. Finally, Sammy knelt down and stroked her back.

"Uni, are you feeling ok?" 

"Yeah, Uni," Apollo said, "you don't look so hot…" She turned her head up and looked from Sammy to Apollo. 

"I'm fine, you guys…just a little tired, that's all…" she said weakly. Sammy bent down even lower.

"You sure, Uni? There's a veterinary office around here if you don't feel too good. We can see what's the matter with you?" she suggested.

"No, Sammy…that's ok…I'm sure I'm just exhausted from my dream…" she replied. Sammy scooped her up in her arms, holding her close.

"Well, ok then…I'll just carry you the rest of the way home if you're tired." Alex shook her head and continued on.

"Whatever…"

~~~

"Here ya go, Uni!" said Sammy, bringing her a bowl of Cheerios. She set the bowl down in front of Uni, who was sitting on the table, ready to eat. 

"You're Cheerios, Madame," Sammy said in a French waiter accent. Uni looked at her and laughed, but soon after she started laughing, she winced in pain. Sammy gasped and bent down and looked at Uni's face. She began to give her back quick strokes.

"Uni! Are you ok?!" Uni didn't answer, but after a few seconds, she went back to normal and looked into Sammy's worried eyes. She smiled crookedly. 

"I'm fine…" she replied. "Just have a bad tummy ache, I guess…must be from lack of food…" she said, and looked at the bowl of now slightly soggy cereal and began to dig in. Sammy got out of her kneeling position and sighed. 

She doesn't look good at all…maybe I should call the vet's office and tell them what's up…Uni kept on munching on her Cheerios, smiling in between bites, but she was really trying to hide her pain from Sammy. Sammy sighed and scratched Uni behind the ears. Uni swallowed her mouthful of Cheerios and began to purr. Slowly, she began to lay down, still purring, then she finally stopped after a while. Sammy looked at her, and smiled. 

"Poor thing's exhausted…" she whispered. Apollo walked in and smiled when he saw Uni asleep on the table, Sammy still scratching her behind the ears. He walked up to her and leapt onto the table. Sammy looked over at him, as he approached Uni's sleeping form.

"It's a good thing she's asleep. Poor girl hasn't been able to have a decent catnap for the past few days…" he said, then looked from Uni to Sammy. Sammy stopped stroking Uni and gently scooped her up. She took Uni into her room and placed her into the bed that Sammy had made for her. Sammy stroked her one more time before getting up and leaving her to sleep. She made her way to the door.

"Good night, Uni," she whispered, quietly closing the door behind her. She walked back to the table, Apollo still standing on it, looking at Uni's bowl of cereal. He looked at Sammy with a smile as she slumped down into the chair. 

"Ya gave the kid Cheerios for dinner?" he said. 

"Well, she likes them…"

"But still," Apollo continued, jumping into her lap, "cereal isn't really a good supper, especially for a cat, ya know?"

"Yeah, well…like I said, she likes them…" Sammy said with a smile.

"Just like Alex does…"

"Yep!" Sammy said, "She's just like Alex!" Apollo looked up at her with a smile.

"Yeah, well, don't tell Alex that!" They both began to giggle at the remark, thinking of what Alex would do if they did tell her that.

~~~

Alex was in her room, reading the Sailor V comic she still had to finish from last night. She was on the last page, and Sailor V was about to kill the youma, a big blue sluglike monster. She did a Sailor V kick, landing her foot right on the youma's nose, knocking it to the floor. Sailor V did her Venus Love Chain Encircle attack and turned the slug to dust. Alex was on the last square now, and it showed Sailor V making a peace sign with her middle and index fingers. One of her eyes was closed in a wink, and her mouth was curled up into a smile. Alex sighed and closed the comic book. She didn't like the real Sailor V that much, but she thought that the comic books were ok. The Sailor V in the comic was much tougher and cooler to her than the real one she knew. She closed her comic book and set it on the mini cabinet that held her lamp next to her. She folded her hands on her stomach and looked up at the white bumpy ceiling above her…then her stomach began to growl. 

She looked at it and rubbed it. Slowly she got up and headed for the kitchen. When she got there, she flipped on the lights and made her way toward the fridge. She grabbed some leftover chicken that she had made a few days ago and stuck it in the microwave. When she was done nuking the chicken, she looked at the microwave's digital clock. It was already two in the morning, and she wasn't tired at all. She shrugged her shoulders and brought a chicken leg up to her lips. Opening her mouth, she stuck part of it in her mouth and bit down, taking a chunk of the meat off. She didn't like the taste of leftover chicken that much, but there was nothing else good to eat in the fridge. She went back into the fridge and grabbed the carton of half full orange juice they had in there. Orange juice wasn't really good with chicken, but she didn't care. She set the chicken down on a plate and poured herself a glass. She tilted her head back, ready to take a sip…

"ALEX!!!" Sammy screamed from behind her. Alex, completely taken by surprise, let out a quick scream and accidentally dropped the glass. It shattered all over the kitchen tile, orange juice and glass flew all over. She turned around and stared at Sammy, who was panicking.

"Sammy!? What are you doing up so late!?" she whispered harshly. Sammy ran up to her, trying to avoid the broken glass. She grabbed Alex's hand and pulled her to her bedroom.

"Sammy, what's the matter? Did ya see a spider or something?" Sammy didn't answer her and pulled her over to her bed where Apollo was, standing next to Uni's bed. Sammy let go of Alex's hand and dropped down next to Apollo, and grabbed Uni's body, which was extremely limp. 

"Alex," Sammy said, looking at her sister with worried eyes, "she won't wake up…" Alex groaned, then turned around. 

"She's just asleep, Sammy. Get back to bed." Sammy leapt forward and grabbed her hand again. 

"No, Alex…I don't think she's breathing…" Apollo leapt up to Uni and placed a paw near Uni's nose. Then he bent over and placed an ear on her chest. Alex looked at him unusually.

"Apollo, what the…" Apollo interrupted her with a loud shush, and Alex became quiet. Apollo squinted his eyes, then brought his head back up. He looked up at Sammy, who was almost in tears. 

"Don't worry, Sammy, she's breathing…and her heart's still beating, too…" Sammy let out a deep sigh, then began to stroke Uni's body.

"But she doesn't look to good…she's barely breathing…we'll have to get her to a doctor." Sammy put Uni on her bed, leapt up and ran into the bathroom. Alex, her arms folded across her chest, rolled her eyes and looked over at Sammy's bathroom. 

"Sammy," she called, "What are you doing?" Sammy came out a few seconds later, now dressed in jeans and a tee shirt. 

"You're not thinking of doing what I think you're going to do, are you?" she said coldly. Sammy was now leaping on one foot, trying to get a sock on. She had a scrunchy in her mouth, so she couldn't answer Alex. She switched feet and put her other sock on. She took the scrunchy out of her mouth and tied her hair back. As she did that, she stared at Alex.

"Uni needs a vet, and fast. I'm just going to take her over to the veterinarian's office and see what the matter is with her."

"But," Alex said, pointing out the window, "it's the middle of the freakin' night, Sammy! You don't know who or what's out there!" Sammy sat on her bed, slipping her shoes on her feet. She just kept on staring at Alex, giving her an "I-don't-care-what's-out-there-and-you're-not-gonna-stop-me" look. Alex threw her hands in the air.

"This is crazy, Sammy! You're getting so worked up just cuz you're dumb stray cat is sick…"

"She is not dumb!" Sammy snapped, getting up and looking at her sister. She turned around and grabbed Uni gently, then turned back to Alex.

"Now, you listen to me, Alexis Brooke Richardson. I'm going to the vet with Uni to have a look at what's wrong with her, and if you're not with me, then you're against me." Alex was taken back by what Sammy had just said to her. She was about to get back at her, but she wasn't in the mood for arguing, and it looked like Sammy wasn't either. Sammy walked by Alex, Apollo following close behind. Alex sighed, and flopped down on Sammy's bed. What was she gonna do? She couldn't just let Sammy run off on her own at night in the streets…what if she was kidnapped? Or hit my a car? Or mugged by some psycho? Thinking about what could happen to her best friend, her sister, she looked up and ran after her. 

"SAMMY! WAIT UP! I'M COMING WITH YOU!" she screamed, running after Sammy and Apollo. Sammy waited and let Alex catch up to her. Alex caught up to Sammy, and the two began to walk toward the exit to the apartment building. 

"So, you changed your mind about not caring for Uni?" Sammy asked. Alex looked at her.

"No…but I'm supposed to protect you. I can't just let you walk out there in the dark on your own, what with psychos and weirdos around." Sammy smiled.

"Ya know, you're starting to sound just like my mom." Alex smiled, and took Sammy's hand. She pulled on it, trying to make her go faster.

"Well, come on, slowpoke! Ya want that stupid cat to live, don't you?" Sammy smiled and nodded. The two began to run down the dark sidewalk. Apollo gasped.

"Wait up, guys!" Alex turned around and stared at him.

"Apollo, you need to get a little more exercise! Come on!" The three ran down the dark streets of Tokyo toward the veterinary office. 

~~~

The vet's office that night was full of animals that were hurt in some way or another. Everyone was busy doing something. Sammy and Alex burst through the doors, and Sammy ran up to the nurse at the front desk. 

"Please help me! My cat needs a doctor, now!"

"Whoa! Slow down there, pretty miss!" said the nurse, taking a cautious step back. "Now, what's the problem?" 

"It's my cat! She's sick…" she said, putting Uni on the desk. The nurse held Uni in her arms and checked her body. Sammy chewed on one of her nails nervously. Alex and Apollo were standing behind her. 

"She looks bad…" the nurse said. Sammy gasped. She grabbed a clipboard and wrote something on it. "Tell me your name, please."

"Sammy White, and the cat's name is Uni!" She wrote some more on the clipboard, the set it down on the counter, and picked Uni back up. The nurse walked to the door leading to the back. She turned to Sammy. 

"Will you please come with me?" the nurse asked. Sammy nodded and followed the nurse into the back room.

"Sammy!" called Alex. Sammy stuck her head out of the door and into the room Alex was in. "What should I do?" Sammy shrugged. 

"Just wait here. I'll be right back." Then she disappeared again behind the door. Alex sat down in a chair and waited for Sammy to get back. Apollo sat down on the floor next to her. A dog next to him looked over at him and growled. Apollo looked over at him nervously and smiled.

"Hehehe…" he laughed nervously, and suddenly the dog started to bark at him. Apollo gave a loud yowl and leapt onto Alex's lap, hissing back at the dog. When the dog was finally calmed down by it's owner, Apollo lay down on her lap. After a few seconds, he looked up at her angry face. A drop of sweat started to slide down his forehead, and he smiled innocently. Alex groaned, and gave him a quick shove. He yowled again and fell to the floor. After hitting his head on the floor, a nurse walked up to Alex with a clipboard in her hand. 

"Excuse me, miss, are you Sammy White?" Alex looked up at her.

"Oh, no, I'm not. I'm her sister, Alex."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Alex." Alex shrugged.

"S'okay."

"So, the cat that Sammy brought in is a new one, huh?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, we're gonna need some info on her for the records." The nurse handed Alex the clipboard, which held some papers. She then handed her a pen. 

"Um…ok…" she said, sitting down. _Great…I hate filling out forms…_she thought, but she had to do it. So, she began to fill it out…

Patient's Name ____Uni___
    Animal Type ___Cat_____
Owner's Name _________________… 
__Oh, this is just great! What do I do now? though Alex nervously, _I gotta fill that in?! Let's see…I could just write Sammy…no, that would be forging her signature, and they'll think I'm Sammy…but…I don't wanna… _She eyed the space where she was supposed to put her name, and she sighed. 
__Looks like I don't have much of a choice… She touched the tip of the pen to the paper, and continued to write. 
Owner's Name __Alex Richardson ._

~~~

Alex sat in the waiting room, arms folded across her chest. Her head was leaning back, her eyes staring at the plain white ceiling. Apollo was taking a little "cat nap" on the floor next to her. Just then, the doors to the back opened slowly, and out came Sammy, staring at the ground as she walked over to Alex. Alex brought her head back upright and looked at Sammy. 
"Well, it's about time! I just had to fill out a stupid form…" she said. Sammy didn't answer, only sat down in the chair next to her. Apollo got up and jumped onto her lap, and lay back down. Sammy began to stroke him gently, and he began to purr. She never lifted her head up. Alex had a look of concern on her face. She turned to Sammy. "Hey, why so glum, Samm?" Sammy sniffed, still stroking Apollo's soft orange fur. Alex tilted her head a little. "Sammy?" she said, concerned. She reached out and put a hand on her sister's. Sammy turned her head and looked into Alex's soft brown eyes. "Hey, cheer up, Samm. Everything's gonna be all right." Sammy smiled, her eyes watering. She quickly wiped away the tears. 
"Thank you, Alex." 
"Hey, no prob, Samm." Alex turned back and leaned her head back, staring at the ceiling once again. 

~~~ 

"Master Nemesis, sir, the next youma is up and ready for attack." 
"Good work, Arachnia. And where shall you be attacking?" he asked. 
"Sir, it is an animal hospital, a place that people take their pets when they are injured or ill. It is the perfect target, plenty of weak humans and animals with plenty of life energy for Master Negadeth." 
"Very well. Send it out as soon as possible, those are the orders," Nemesis said calmly to the spider woman, who was bowing before his small form. 
"Yes, master." She got up and turned to leave. She walked down many corridors, until she came to a dark room. In the middle of this room was a bright floating black crystal. She walked up to it and scooped it into her hands. With the other hand, she created a black portal and walked through it, entering the real world. 

~~~ 

Hours had passed since the last time Sammy, Alex and Apollo saw Uni. Sammy and Apollo were asleep in the chair. Sammy was snoring quietly, her head tilted forward. Alex looked at her with a smile. "Sweet dreams…sis…" she said to the sleeping form. A few minutes passed, and Alex was really bored. She was humming a song that she had stuck in her head. A nurse walked up to her, "Are you Alex Richardson, the owner of Uni?" Alex looked at her and got up quickly. 
"Um, yes, I am," she said, uncomfortable about saying that she owned Uni. 
"Well, you will be very happy to hear that she's just fine." 
"Well, what happened to her? She said that…I mean…" she corrected herself quickly, "she looked really sick." 
"Nothing much that we couldn't handle, really. All she had was a little infection. Has she had any serious injuries lately?" 
"Well, she did have this really big cut in her side…" 
"Ahh," the nurse said, writing something down on the paper she had on a clipboard in her arm, "that explains everything. You should have brought her in earlier, and it wouldn't have been so bad and we wouldn't have had to take her into surgery." 
"Surgery?" Alex said, a little worried. "It was that bad?" 
"Yes, but it's just fine, now. Nothing to worry about, miss." Alex sighed. 
"That's a relief…" 
"We also noticed that her right backleg was broken, so we set that back in place for you," she said with a smiled. 
"Thank you so much for being so kind," Alex said with a bow. 
"Oh, please, no need to apologize. I'm just doing my job." 
"Uni…?" Sammy said, finally awake. She brought a hand up to her eye and rubbed the sleep out of it, then she did the same to the other. Apollo was awakened by Sammy's movement and yawned. 
"So, sleepyhead, you're finally awake. Good news, Uni's doin' just fine." Sammy got up quickly and stood in front of them both, Apollo fell off her lap and onto the ground, hitting his head once again. 
"She is!? Oh, thank goodness!! May we see her, please!?" The nurse took a step back. 
"Yes, she's right this way. If you'll follow me, please…" 
"HOWLING TERROR!!! AAAAWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Something above them screamed outside, everyone in the office covered their ears. 
"WHAT IS THAT?!" Sammy screamed at Alex, trying to get her to hear what she was saying over the loud cry. 
"I DON'T KNOW, BUT IT SURE IS MAKIN' A LOTTA NOISE!!!" Alex replied. Just then, the ceiling of the room collapsed in, and in the hole were two figures, a red spiderlike woman and another gray spider next to her. 
"Well, well, looks like there's plenty of energy here," said the red one. She turned to the gray spider. "Wolfio, drain them all, will you? Show no mercy." 
"Yes, Arachnia!" said the youma, and she floated down into the office through the hole in the ceiling it had made. 
"Oh, no! It's a monster!" screamed someone, pointing at Wolfio. All the people screamed, dogs barked, cats hissed, there was commotion all around. People began to run toward the exit with their pets in their arms. 
"Oh, no you don't! Web Net!" screamed Wolfio. A sticky white spiderweb shot out of her open mouth and blocked the exit. People screamed when they realized that there was no way out. Alex turned to Sammy. 
"Time to transform!" she said. 
"Right!" Sammy replied, raising her transformation pen in the air. Apollo turned to her. 
"Sammy!?" Sammy looked down at him. 
"What, Apollo?" He gave her a look that said "Not here, Sammy". Sammy blushed and scratched her head, embarrassed. "Oh yeah. Sorry…" she said, smiling sheepishly. Alex's head drooped down. 
"She's been a sailor scout longer than I have, and she's still an airhead…" she sighed. 
"Hey, Alex, give me a break, would ya?" She then became serious and turned to the door that lead to the back. "Ok," she said, pointing to the door, "let's transform back there, and fast!" Alex nodded, and the three of them ran toward the door, swung it open, ran into the room, and closed the door behind them. Sammy and Alex raised their pens in the air. 
"Sun Crystal Power!" 
"Earth Crystal Power!" 
They transformed into their rightful sailor scout forms, then ran toward the door and opened it again. "Hey, you! Negaslime!" screamed Alex at Wolfio. The spider turned its head toward them. 
"Who're you?" she asked the two scouts. They both posed and did their little speeches. 
"I am Sailor Sun, protector of the sun and destroyer of all evil!" said Sailor Sun. 
"And I am Sailor Earth, defender of the planet earth and all that live in this beautiful world!" said Sailor Earth. 
"And in the name of the Sun…" 
"And of the Earth…" 
"We shall punish you!" they both said simultaneously. A sweatdrop formed on Sailor Earth's head. 
"Ya know, I felt a whole lot like Sailor Moon when I said that…" Sammy said. 
"Yeah, I didn't like it at all…gotta come up with something better…" Alex replied. 
"Well, I'm Wolfio, the wolf spider, your worst nightmare, and I'm about to destroy you both! Howling Terror! AAAAWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Sailor Earth and Sailor Sun covered their ears as Wolfio did her earthshaking attack. The walls began to crumble around them. Sailor Earth uncovered her ears. 
"I've had just about enough of you! Hurricane Horror!" she screamed as a giant tidal wave appeared from behind her and splashed ontop of Wolfio. Alex smiled, but then saw a blur come shooting out of the giant wave. She turned to it. "Oh no you don't!" she said, jumping after it. Sammy looked at all the people around her, trying to get out. She turned to the spiderweb. 
"Cosmic Solar Flare!" she said, and threw the miniature sun at the web blocking the exit. It tore the web off the door, and people started pouring out of the partially destroyed building with their pets. 
"What's going on?" said a familiar voice from behind Sailor Sun. She turned to find Uni standing there with a bandage wrapped around her waist and a cast on her leg. 
"Uni!" Apollo cried. Uni turned to them and smiled widely with joy. "Apollo! Sammy!" she said happily, running toward her friends. She leapt into Sailor Sun's arms. Sammy hugged her gently. Apollo ran over to Sammy's side. Uni looked at Sammy. 
"But…Where's Alex?" All three of them turned to the sky, where Wolfio and Alex were about to fight head on. Wolfio stopped flying away, and turned around, only to find Sailor Earth heading straight for her, her good hand curled into a fist, ready to strike her. Wolfio smiled evilly, and disappeared right before Sailor Earth could punch her. Sailor Earth plummeted back down to the ground, and landed in a kneeling position on the floor. "Darn! She's too fast for me…" She looked around nervously, searching for the youma. 
    "Alex! LOOK OUT!!!" warned Uni, leaping out of Sammy's arms and running toward Alex. "BEHIND YOU!!!" 
"I got you now, Sailor Earth!" Wolfio screamed from behind. She charged at Sailor Earth. Sailor Earth turned around and gasped, as Wolfio brought her fist forward, ready to hit her right in the face with it. Sailor Earth closed her eyes, ready for the hit. 
"YAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!" screamed Wolfio, ready for the kill. Sailor Earth didn't see any of it happen. All she heard was Wolfio's scream of attack fade out, after she heard the slice of something sharp go through flesh. Then it was followed by Wolfio's scream of pain. 
"What?" Alex said, opening her eyes. She looked around her. She saw Wolfio's body on the ground, split right in half down the middle. She also saw Sammy where she still was standing before she attacked Wolfio, her eyes wide open with surprise, and her body was stiff. Apollo was beside her, a serious expression on his face. Uni was still running toward her, and she finally reached her side. 
"Alex! Are you ok?" she said with a worried look. Alex got to her feet and looked down at Uni. 
"Yeah, I'm fine, kid." Uni smiled with relief. They all turned to see who had killed Wolfio, and they saw a person, a boy, about seventeen or eighteen years old, in a brown tunic with baggy tan pants and black army boots. He wore black gloves on each hand, and the fingers of the gloves were cut off, revealing his own fingers. On his back was a gold colored sword sheath, a long silver broadsword was still in his hands after he killed Wolfio. His head and part of his face was covered with a brown hood. He turned his head toward Arachnia, who was shaking with fear. 
    "This can't be! He…he killed Wolfio in one hit…and I bet he didn't even break a sweat…!" A portal appeared behind her, and she began to float backwards toward it. "You just wait, kid! You'll be sorry for messing with the Negaverse!" and then she was gone, the portal disappearing after she had entered it. The boy stood straight and stuck the sword, point first, behind his head and into the opening in the sheath with ease. Sammy, Alex, Uni and Apollo were stunned. He stood with his back to them. 
    "That was easy…too easy…there was no way that any of them could have been the one I am looking for…" he turned his head slightly, looking at the two scouts and the cats. "And it looks like neither of these two could be…her…otherwise they would have destroyed both that youma and that other one even before I got here…" Alex heard what the boy had said and took a stand, defending herself. 
    "Hey, who are you callin' weak, buddy!? I had that youma right where I wanted it! I was about to finish it off, before YOU came!" The boy chuckled. 
    "Really? It looked like you were about to get clobbered to me…" he said before he began to walk away into the shadows. Alex growled, making a fist. 
    "Wait!" Sammy said, and he stopped in his tracks. "Who are you, and what are you doing here?" There was silence for a few seconds, and then he finally answered. 
    "My name isn't important to you right now, but you may call me the Hooded Knight…why am I here, you ask? I'm here to get revenge on the one who killed my father long ago…" and then he walked into the shadows. "Until next time, sailors." Sammy, Alex, Apollo and Uni stood there in the rubble, the wind blowing softly around them. 
    "The Hooded Knight? I guess we have a new ally…" said Sammy. 
    "Well, I don't like him. Hmph! Call me weak, I'll show him next time we meet!" said Alex, folding her arms across her chest. Just then, she heard something groan and fall down with a thud to the ground. It was Uni. 
    "Uni!" gasped Sammy, kneeling down and scooping her up again. Alex groaned. 
    "Great! She's not going into one of those dream memory thingys again, is she?!" she complained, rolling her eyes. Sammy gave her "the look". 
    "No, Alex, I think she's just tired…we should get home and let her rest, and when she wakes up, we'll ask her if she saw anything…" said Apollo. The sound of approaching police cars and ambulances could he heard, and Sammy began to walk away from the rubble, heading home. Apollo followed her, and soon Alex started to follow, her arms still crossed. As they made their way home, their uniforms faded back to their normal clothes. 

~~~End Part 7 

AUTHOR'S NOTE: No comment…^_^…I think it turned out pretty good…I just hope the people who have been waiting for this for like…two months are pleased with the results…-_-' (*SD*)… 


	9. The Boy Named Matt

****

Part 8

__

The Boy Named Matt

The alarm in Alex's room beeped, the red digital numbers blinking with each beep. Alex groaned and slammed her fist down onto the alarm, making it stop, and fell back to sleep.

~~~

Uni woke up a half an hour later, perking her ears up. She stretched and yawned, then jumped out of her bed and made her way into Alex's room. She jumped up onto the bed and looked at Alex's sleeping form. She smiled, then looked at the clock. It said 7:45 on it. Uni nudged Alex's hand with her wet nose. Alex giggled, turning over in her sleep. Uni leapt over Alex and looked at her again, confused. 

"Alex…wake up, you have to get to school," she said, then licked Alex's face. Alex sat up and screamed, accidentally smacking Uni with her hand. Uni yelped and fell back onto her tail, a surprised look on her face. Alex wiped at her cheek, then looked at Uni and gasped. 

"What are you doing here, cat!?" she asked harshly, rubbing her eyes. Uni shook her head clear, still dazed from when Alex hit her, then looked up at Alex. 

"Well…" she said, turning to the clock and pointing at it with her paw, "Sammy already left for school, and I thought you had to go as well…" Alex screamed, grabbing the clock.   


"NO! IT CAN'T BE!!!" she said, throwing the clock down, shattering it to pieces. She got up and changed, grabbing her backpack and heading for the door. "I'm late! Teach is gonna be sooo mad!" she said, opening the door. Uni ran out of her room, looking at Alex. 

"Have a nice day, Alex!" she said with a smile. Alex stopped herself and turned back to Uni, who had a huge grin on her face. Alex couldn't help but smile as well. 

"Yeah…you too, kid…" she said, opening the door and walking out.

~~~

Alex ran through the school doors just as the five-minute bell rang. She casually walked down the hall, watching as other kids passed by her on their way to class. Alex sighed. "Another boring day at school," she said, putting her hands behind her head.

"THERE HE IS!!!" a girl screamed.

"LET'S GET HIM!!!" screamed another. More screams followed, and a boy ran toward Alex, hiding behind her. 

"Alex, ya gotta hide me! They're after me again!" he said, peeking over her shoulder. Alex sighed and glared at the herd of girls running toward them. They all stopped when their eyes met her gaze. They all sighed and groaned. 

"Oh no, it's ALEX!" said one snotty girl, chewing on some gum. The girls began to break apart, heading for class.

"She's sooo lucky!" she heard one say. Alex rolled her eyes and turned to the boy. He fixed the red tie around his neck and cleared his throat. 

"Thanks a bunch, Alex…" he said, blushing. "I thought they had me there for a second. I was runnin' around the whole school, lookin' for a place to hide, and then there you were!" he said with a smile. Alex raised her hand. 

"Don't mention it. So, what's happenin', Gil?" she asked the boy. 

"Oh, nothin' new," Gil replied, sticking his hand in his pants pocket. "What about you, Alex?" 

"Oh, same old. I'm just having…some minor pet problems at home…" she said, thinking about Uni. Gil smiled. 

"Sammy botherin' ya 'bout gettin' a new pet?" he asked. Alex sighed. 

"Let's just say she won." Just then, the one-minute bell rang, and Alex and Gil looked up.

"Well, better head for homeroom!" Gil said, walking off, waving to Alex as he went. "See ya in math, Alex!" he said, then ran off, looking out for girls as he went. Alex smiled. She still couldn't believe that this boy, Gil, used to work for the Negaverse as Gold. She was glad that he was still alive. She walked up to her homeroom door and walked in, sitting in her assigned seat. She dropped her backpack next to her desk and sighed, folding her hands together onto the desk. 

The bell rang, and all the students took their seats. Alex closed her eyes and sighed once again. The teacher spoke, reading the announcements, telling what was for lunch that day, what's been going on in the school sports activities, etc.; Alex didn't hear her, not until she said, "Today, we have a new exchange student who has come to us all the way from Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. What was your name again?" Alex opened an eye and looked at the boy standing at the front of the room. He was so tall next to the teacher. His hair was up in blond spikes, his ice blue eyes cut through the soul of everyone in the classroom. He had a serious expression on his face. His right hand was stuck in his pants pocket, the other held his small black backpack. 

"My name is Matt Stevenson…it's a pleasure…" he said, not changing his expression at all. Alex was amazed by this boy. He seemed like the perfect guy; she could swear that she felt her face get hotter as she blushed. She rubbed her eyes and closed her mouth, folding her arms across her chest. 

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Matt! Now, children, I want you all to make Matt feel welcome here at our school, all right?" She looked around the classroom, stretching her neck to look at all the desks. "Well, Matt, why don't you have a seat at the back of the room, behind Alex?" Alex gasped, looking around nervously. Matt very casually walked over to her, his backpack now slung over one shoulder. When he passed her, Alex felt a sudden surge of energy pass through her body. Her eyes went wide and she squeezed her hands, clutching the sides of her chair. 

"Is something wrong, Ms. Richardson?" the teacher asked. Alex looked at her, letting out a small laugh. 

"Oh, it's nothing, really…I'm just a little jumpy…I didn't get much sleep last night…" she said, smiling. The teacher smiled back.

"Ah, did you stay up all night to study for that math test you have today?" Alex gasped, becoming even more surprised.

"Math…t-test?" she asked herself, just as the bell rang. The children got up, heading right for the door, none of them turning back. Matt got up and walked by Alex again. She felt the energy flow through her veins once again, and she grabbed the sides of her desk. As Matt got further and further away from her, she felt the energy getting weaker and weaker. Her grip loosened, and she turned her head to him. Matt reached the door and placed his hand on the doorknob. He opened the door, then stood there, looking out at the hall. Alex looked confused. Matt turned his head and looked at her. Alex gasped, holding her breath and blinking. Matt stared at her, then raised a hand. 

"See ya later, Alex," he said in his deep manly voice, then walked out the door into the bustling hallway. Alex let out her breath in a huge sigh, resting her forehead on the desk. She reached down for her backpack and got up, slinging the backpack over one shoulder and leaving the classroom. 

~~~

When lunchtime came, Alex bought herself a gross cafeteria lunch and sat down next to Gil at a table. All the girls surrounding Gil at the time began to break away, mumbling things about Alex. Gil thanked her as usual, and Alex told him he didn't have to thank her. Gil took a bite of his hotdog and took a sip of his soda, then turned to Alex, who was eating her own hotdog. 

"So, have you met the new kid yet?" he asked, nudging her. Alex turned to him, raising an eyebrow. 

"New kid? Ya mean Matt Stephenson?" she asked. Gil blinked, smiling. He scratched his head. 

"Wow. The kid's new, and you already know his name. It's not like you to remember like that. HEY!" Gil yelped as Alex knocked his hat off his head and it drifted into his lap. He waved his hands in front of him, trying to defend himself. "Ok, ok, sheesh! I'm just jokin' around, Al!" he said, turning back to his hotdog. 

"Don't call…"

"I know, I know, don't call you Al! Sheesh…" he said, shaking his head and taking another bite of his hotdog. Alex rolled her eyes and did the same, then took a sip of her own soda. Gil turned around and smiled. 

"Hey, there he is now!" Gil said, nudging Alex again. Alex gasped and also turned around. Sure enough, there was Matt, in line to buy a lunch. When he bought his lunch and made his way toward them, she turned away and hunched her shoulders, taking small bites at her hotdog. 

"Hey, why don't we invite him to sit with us? YO, NEW GUY! MATT!" Gil said, waving to Matt. 

"No, don't!" Alex whispered harshly, pulling at Gil's arms. Matt turned to them, raising an eyebrow. Gil turned to Alex. 

"Aw, come on, Al! We wanna make this guy feel like he fits in here, right?"

"Don't call me…"

"Hi…" Matt said, now standing next to the table. Alex gasped, turning back to her hotdog and taking small bites at it once again. Gil smiled, shaking Matt's hand.

"Hey, Matt! I'm Gilbert Jones, but just call me Gil. I sit by ya in Science, remember?" Gil said, a silly grin on his face. Matt shook Gil's hand. 

"Yeah, I know…you're the one with the big mouth…" Matt said with a small smile. Gil laughed, scratching his head. 

"Yep! That's me, all right! Hehehe…" Gil turned to Alex and put a hand on her shoulder. "This shy one right here is my pal, Alex Richardson. Don't call her Al, though, or she'll kill ya." Alex could feel herself blush. How she wanted to kick Gil right now. Matt walked over to her and sat down next to her. Alex felt the energy rush through her once again. 

What is this feeling I have when I'm around him? There's something strange about him…I wonder…she thought, still nibbling at her hotdog. Gil's hand waved in front of her face. "Hola? Earth to Alex, hello? Am I making contact here, or what?" Alex jumped, coming out of her thoughts and looked over at Matt. She gasped. 

"I-I'm sorry…I'm being rude…." she said, blushing. 

"It's ok, Alex. I don't mind," he said with a kind smile. Alex turned to him and met his gaze. His ice blue eyes stared into her golden brown ones. He shook her hand. "It's nice to meet you, Alex…"

~~~

"Well, I don't know about you, but I think he's a pretty cool guy!" Gil said, walking backwards, his hands behind his head, looking at Alex, who had her head bowed, looking down at her feet as she walked. Gil had a confused look on his face, so he stopped and looked at Alex. "Alex, are you feelin' ok?" he asked, sounding a bit concerned. Alex lifted her head and looked into his eyes. 

"I'm fine, Gil…really…"

"You're bummed cuz of that math test we got next class, huh?" he said, folding his arms across his chest. Alex sighed. 

"Yeah, I am…" Alex lied, and continued walking. "Let's just get that stupid test over with…" Gil smiled.

"Hey, now that sounds like the Alex I know!" he said, patting her back. 

"Whatever…" she said with a smile as they made their way to the math room.

~~~

After school, Alex went straight home. She ran into her apartment and threw her backpack onto the kitchen counter. Uni walked out and looked at her as she reached into the fridge and grabbed a soda. Uni walked up to her and smiled. 

"Hey, Alex! How was your day at school?" she asked, trying to make small talk. Alex took a gulp of the soda and looked down at Uni. 

"Is it any of your business, cat?" she asked coldly, slamming the fridge door. Uni jumped, then cringed.

"I was just trying to start a conversation, Alex…you don't have to yell at me, you know/" Uni said sadly. Alex glared at her, then walked over to the kitchen table. 

"Whatever…where's Sammy?" she asked, taking another sip. Uni walked over with her.

"Sammy took Apollo for a little walk. She asked if I wanted to come, but I decided to stay here and greet you when you got home." Alex looked down at her and sneered. 

"Well, ya didn't have to, cat…" she said, getting up and walking to the couch. Uni followed her. Alex stopped and once again looked down at the cat. "Would ya stop following me?!" she screamed. Uni cringed, then ran off and sat on the armchair in the living room, pulling her ears back and putting her tail between her legs. "THANK YOU!" Alex said, throwing herself down onto the couch. She grabbed the remote and turned on the television. She flipped through the channels. Uni just sat there, staring at her, a frightened look on her face. Alex turned to Uni and raised an eyebrow. 

"Why are you actin' so scared? It's not like I'm gonna kill you or anything…" she said, turning the television off when she decided that nothing good was on. Uni blinked, looking down at the floor.

"Well, ya see…" 

"Whatever…save it for Sammy, will ya? I'm gonna take a nap…" she said, making her way towards her room. She walked in and closed the door behind her, leaving Uni back in the living room, trying to hold back her tears.

~~~

About a half an hour later, Sammy walked back into the apartment, Apollo prancing behind her. Sammy hung up her blue coat and put away Apollo's leash. Apollo looked around the apartment. He turned to Sammy.   


"I wonder where everyone is?" he said, walking into the living room. "Oh, there's Uni," he said when he found the little kitten asleep on the seat where Alex had left her. Sammy poked her head into Alex's room to find her sister also fast asleep in her bed. 

"And here's Alex," she said, closing Alex's door. Alex sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes.

"Huh? What…?" she said, yawning. Sammy opened the door again and looked back in. She giggled, walking up to Alex. 

"Sorry, did I wake you up?" she asked, folding her arms across her chest and leaning against the wall. Alex turned to Sammy and got up. 

"No, I just had another dream…it was really weird…" she said, straightening her shirt. "Sammy, there's something I have to talk to you about…" she started, and she and Sammy walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table. Sammy put her arms on the table and looked over at Alex. 

"Yeah, what is it, Alex?" she asked. Alex let out her breath and leaned back in her chair. 

"There's this new guy at school, and…well…everytime I get near him, I get this feeling…" Sammy screamed, and Alex jumped. Sammy began to laugh, and she put her hands over her mouth. 

"Alex! You have a crush on the new kid at your school?!" she said with a huge grin on her face. Alex shook her head, narrowing her eyes. 

"No, Sammy, it's not that…" _Even though he is kinda cute…_she though. "It was a feeling like…I don't know, a whole bunch of energy was flowing through my body or something." Sammy raised an eyebrow. 

"Are you serious, Alex?" she asked, now also leaning back in her chair. 

"Yes, I am, Sammy! I think we'd better keep an eye on this guy…" 

"What's his name?" Uni asked, now awake from Sammy's screaming. She and Apollo walked up to the two and she looked up at Alex. Alex looked down at her and sneered, then turned away. 

"It's none of your business, cat. You're not even a fully fledged Guardian Cat, like Luna or Artemis. You're only a rookie, so why should I tell you anything?!" Uni, hurt by these words, started to build up tears in her eyes. Alex ignored her and folded her arms across her chest. Apollo looked from Alex to Uni, then back to Alex. Turning back to Uni, he put a paw on her shoulder. 

"Uni, don't…" Uni pulled away from him and ran into Sammy's room, jumping into her bed and started to cry, burying her face into the pillow. Apollo followed her. Sammy sat up and glared at Alex. 

"ALEX! Why do you have to be so mean to Uni!? She's just trying to help!" she said, then ran off to her room after Uni and Apollo, slamming her door and locking it behind her. Alex sighed, then got up and went into her own room, closing and locking it behind her.

~End Part 8~

AUTHOR'S NOTE-Sorry I ended it so quickly, it's cuz some of my friends really wanted me to get this done, before they'd kill me! Hope you like it, guys! ^_^


End file.
